'Traumatized' Rangel Lashes Out

Hey, if you can't take the heat, maybe you shouldn't have four rent-controlled apartments and a long history of sleazy behavior.

A traumatized Rep. Charlie Rangel didn't stay sorry very long, lashing out Monday over questions about the ethics storm bearing down on him.

"Why don't you wait until you know what the facts are?" the Harlem Democrat snapped at one reporter, after calling his ongoing ethics probe "traumatic."

Only a lowlife liberal would call his own mess traumatic. Nothing like living in the real world.

He was especially grouchy over suggestions Democratic allies like Gov. Paterson, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Sen. Chuck Schumer are less than wholehearted in their support.

"I don't believe what you are saying to be true," Rangel, 80, said of reports Cuomo and the governor might skip his Aug. 11 birthday fund-raiser.

And Schumer, he insisted, is a prince, even though the senior senator has said little in support publicly.

"Schumer has been my buddy for many years and just because someone can think of a question doesn't mean I have to respond to it," Rangel grumped.

An opportunist like Schumer is always looking out for one thing and one thing only: himself. You think a guy up for re-election is going to be seen anywhere near someone as radioactive as Rangel.

The House ethics committee will lay out the case against Rangel Thursday. It's expected to include findings on his failure to disclose assets, pay taxes on rent from a Dominican villa, and using office letterhead stationery to raise money for a center named after him.

Rangel requested an ethics review of those allegations, but suggested he could also get hit with charges on related revelations in the press over the last two years.

Among them are claims he traded legislative favors for contributions to the Rangel Center being developed at City College.

"They finally investigate me, and guess what? They have more ethics violations," Rangel said at a Harlem scholarship awards breakfast.

Just imagine how much else would have been found if his own party weren't the ones investigating.

Cop Awakens From Coma With Unusual Statement

 
Good thing this guy isn't a Mets fan. Who knows what sort of expletives would have come out of his mouth upon emerging from a coma?

Senator Stuart Smalley: Republicans Don't Want People to Have Jobs or Something

If you can manage to stay awake through the three tedious minutes of this video, you'll discover the guy who stole his Senate seat tries to revive his failed comedy career with this knee-slapper.

But I do think that this whole approach of slowing everything down, in many ways I think it’s so that, they don’t want a jobs bill because they don’t want people to get jobs before the election. It’s a harsh thing to say, and I don’t want to impugn the motives of my colleagues, but I don’t get what they’re doing otherwise.

He doesn't want to impugn their motives, but claims they don't want people to have a job.

Well, they would have jobs except for the disastrous economic policies foisted upon us by him and his colleagues.

Yawn, Hey Look I Got Classified Documents

So all the buzz today is about the documents that Wikileaks decided to provide to their reliable liberal media outlets. I will admit I greeted the news with a big yawn knowing in advance what the storyline would be. I mean what else could it be from an establishment that has dedicated itself to reliving the great 60's of their youth and never publishing a story about the Global War on Terrorism which didn't include at least one reference to Vietnam in it.

You see, to liberals Vietnam is one of their crowning jewels. They conveniently ignore the fact that the US withdrawal resulted in the deaths of over 2 million people.

So what we are seeing in the headlines so far has fallen into the so-what category or the tell me something we didn't know or had already deduced.

I am pissed at the release of the documents and more so at how they were obtained as well as the breathless reporting of classified information. Words like treason and sabotage have lost all meaning just like the word racism has. As long as nobody is held accountable and instead acts like this are applauded and the perpetrators of these acts are more likely to receive an award rather then a jail sentence then it will continue.

Much of the information — raw intelligence and threat assessments gathered from the field in Afghanistan— cannot be verified and likely comes from sources aligned with Afghan intelligence, which considers Pakistan an enemy, and paid informants. Some describe plots for attacks that do not appear to have taken place.

I don't know why, but for some reason this little ditty about the plan came to mind when I heard about the news of these 90,000 pages of documents. The memos are said to be blunt and written in more straight forward fashion then most of us would be used to, but while they may reflect the views of the guy on the pointy end of the spear, it must also be realized that they reflect what is happening in the writers own little world.

The last thing I observed is I find it funny that there were no jokes, no reports of successful actions or heroic acts being reported as being contained in the documents. Don't you think that in 90,000 pages there would be at least account of bravery or a successful turn around in a village or completion of a civics project like a school or a hospital?

The Plan

In the beginning, there was a plan,
And then came the assumptions,
And the assumptions were without form,
And the plan without substance,

And the darkness was upon the face of the workers,
And they spoke among themselves saying,
"It is a crock of shit and it stinks."

And the workers went unto their Supervisors and said,
"It is a pile of dung, and we cannot live with the smell."

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers saying,
"It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong,
Such that none may abide by it."

And the Managers went unto their Directors saying,
"It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide by its strength."

And the Directors spoke among themselves saying to one another,
"It contains that which aids plants growth, and it is very strong."

And the Directors went to the Vice Presidents saying unto them,
"It promotes growth, and it is very powerful."

And the Vice Presidents went to the President, saying unto him,
"This new plan will actively promote the growth and vigor
Of the company With very powerful effects."

And the President looked upon the Plan
And saw that it was good,
And the Plan became Policy.

And this, my friend, is how shit happens.

Why Is Palin So Popular? Blame Her Critics

Boston Herald columnist Joe Fitzgerald has figured out why people are attracted to Sarah Palin. The bile and venom directed her way by the angry left has made people realize why she's more normal and down to earth than most politicians.

If you wonder why so many Americans are attracted to Sarah Palin, just take a look at the crowd now nipping at her heels, doing its best to derail her appeal through personal attacks that are scurrilous.

She’s been a mayor and a governor, yet they say she lacks experience, though they remain enthralled by a loquacious president whose own resume was barren by comparison.

She’s a happily married mother of five, one a soldier who served in harm’s way, another a son born with Down syndrome, meaning she understands what it means to live life on life’s terms.

Of course, the kid who gets all the media attention is the one whose life was filled with the bumps and bruises of a rocky relationship, as if that should be the measure of her mother’s viability. It’s unconscionable. On either side of the political spectrum, common decency demands you don’t advance your cause by using a candidate’s kid as a punching bag.

Palin has many ways to incense her critics, yet they all seem to endear her to the masses.

She doesn’t believe in killing unborn babies, and feels marriage is the union of a man and a woman, an institution defined and ordained by God. For this, she’s called hateful.

She believes immigrants ought to submit to an established process that would lead to legal citizenship. For this, she’s called divisive.

She’s not ashamed to admit her life is informed by her faith, which was nurtured in the Assembly of God Church, the fastest-growing denomination in this country. This offends her critics, who thought it was no big deal when they heard their would-be president’s pastor hollering, “God damn America!”

Now they vilify her for opposing the construction of a mosque on the hallowed grounds where thousands of Americans were killed by madmen declaring, “All praise to Allah!”

The critics couldn't argue with her point on the mosque and instead showed their childish ways by harping on a type on her Twitter post.They're the ones looking pretty stupid these days.

Obama's Theme: Things Could Be Worse

Having very little to campaign on this fall, Team Obama and their sycophants will do what comes naturally: Take zero responsibility for the current malaise the country is in.

Real leadership there, champ.

President Barack Obama, who rocketed to the White House promising "change you can believe in," is now telling voters they shouldn't change a thing.

His message for the fall elections, which are looking ominous for his Democrats, is that Republicans caused the nation's economic troubles, but he and the Democrats are starting to fix them. So stick with the Democrats and don't go back to the GOP.

"This is a choice between the policies that led us into the mess or the policies that are leading out of the mess," Obama said recently in Las Vegas.

Trouble is, it's a tough sell to voters who've seen little progress.

Unemployment is stuck near double digits and polls show many voters have decided Obama's policies are to blame, not his predecessor's.

Obama often frames the argument by saying that Republicans had their chance to drive, then drove the car into a ditch and shouldn't get the keys back. But voters may be concluding that Democrats, who control the White House and both chambers of Congress, have had their chance at the wheel, too, and haven't gotten very far.

"From the American public's point of view, the people in charge at this point are the people who own the problem," said Andrew Kohut, head of the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

Obama may be the last one to realize he's getting blame for a reason.

Meanwhile, the whiner-in-chief has his priorities in order. He's afraid to do legitimate interviews with actual reporters, but is more than happy to show up on The View for a twinkie-munch session with a gaggle of yentas.

ABC's "The View" has welcomed many notable guests, but none more prominent than President Barack Obama, who is scheduled to visit for Thursday's edition.

In making the announcement on Monday, executive producers Barbara Walters and Bill Geddie said this marks the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited a daytime talk show.

They said the majority of the hour will be devoted to Obama's appearance, which will touch on topics including jobs, the economy, the Gulf oil spill and family life inside the White House. It is scheduled to tape on Wednesday.

"We are so pleased and honored," Walters said.

Consider it must-flee TV.

Self-Important Rocker Whines About Being Left Off Celebrity List

You'd think he'd be content to live the life of luxury and count his millions. But no, Jon Bon Jovi apparently needs his ego stroked by being put on a list of top celebrities.

Jon Bon Jovi is furious that he failed to make it onto two widely followed 2010 Forbes magazine top celebrity lists.

The singer was left off the much-publicized "Power 100" roster of the world's most powerful celebrities in June topped by Oprah Winfrey. Then he was aghast when he didn't make it onto the "Musicians' Rich List," led by rival rockers U2 last week.

A source told us: "Jon kicked up a huge fuss and got his people to complain. He couldn't understand why he didn't make the musicians list since Bon Jovi has been touring nonstop since February. Their contemporaries U2 and Bruce Springsteen were on the list. Even Britney Spears was No. 5, and she hasn't done anything this year."

Forbes' list of 12 of 2010's top-earning musicians came out on July 16. U2 was top with an estimated $130 million earned on worldwide tour. Next came AC/DC with $114 million and Beyoncé Knowles with $87 million. Springsteen came in fourth with $70 million, and Spears -- who's barely worked since her "Circus" world tour ended in November -- placed fifth with $64 million.

Forbes confirmed to Page Six that Bon Jovi's people had complained and explained: "Forbes estimated each act's earnings between June 2009 and June 2010 and included revenue streams such as concert dates, merchandise sales, licensing fees, music sales, and publishing royalties. Bon Jovi didn't tour for eight of those months." The group's two-year world tour started in February this year, with 28 dates played before the Forbes deadline.

Who knows, maybe hanging around a notorious chakra releaser has tarnished his image.

Washington Urged for Release of Lockerbie Monster

This current regime in Washington really enjoys having it both ways. In one breath they claim to be outrageously outraged that the Lockerbie bomber was released yet at the same time was OK with releasing Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on "compassionate" grounds.

How about a little compassion for the victims' families?

Barack Obama's administration urged Edinburgh to base the release of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds, it has emerged.

Newspapers had quoted a letter from Richard LeBaron, deputy head of the US Embassy in London, to Scottish first minister Alex Salmond.

It read: "If Scottish authorities come to the conclusion that Megrahi must be released from custody, the US position is that conditional release on compassionate grounds would be a far preferable alternative to prisoner transfer."

Mr Salmond told Sky News this morning that the American government's position was that they did not want Megrahi to be released - but preferred a compassionate release over a prisoner transfer deal.

"Presumably the reason that they were so opposed to the prisoner transfer agreement is on roughly the same grounds as the Scottish government had for opposing that agreement - because it was signed initially at the same time as an oil deal was being signed in the famous deal in the desert," he said.

Elsewhere, former prime minister Tony Blair was forced to deny he had paved the way for Megrahi's release during a meeting with Libya's leader Colonel Gadaffi.

"There was no deal in the desert," Mr Blair's spokesman told the Sunday Mirror newspaper. "His release was entirely a decision for the Scottish executive."

This comes after the fiction being peddled earlier this week that Obama was going to "grill" David Cameron, who had nothing to do with the deal, over the release.

COnsidering Obama's anemic approval ratings, how well will this go over with the American public? Oh, never mind, the media here will simply ignore the story.

Meanwhile, certain senators now preening for the cameras and bashing BP are having it thrown back at them.

US POLITICIANS demanding to know if BP lobbied for the release of the Lockerbie bomber were yesterday accused of taking a fortune in donations from the oil giant.

President Barack Obama is said to have received $71,051- around £46,000 - and his secretary of state Hillary Clinton $6700 from the firm that both have savaged since the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Clinton has led the calls for the SNP government to explain their decision to send cancer-stricken Abdelbaset al-Megrahi home to Libya last August.

Other US politicians said to have received BP donations include two senators leading a special hearing trying to establish if BP lobbied for Megrahi's release to help the firm win lucrative drilling rights in Libya.

BP insisted the money was donated by individual staff members.

Last night, the US politicians faced SNP accusations of hypocrisy.

SNP Msp Michael Matheson said: "It's astonishing that after all the rhetoric ... that those senators attacking BP have benefited from their donations.

"It exposes some of the sheer political opportunism currently being played out over the tragic events at Lockerbie and in the Gulf."

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill insisted he freed Megrahi on compassionate grounds and that BP had no contact with Holyrood.

He again refused to attend the senate hearing on Thursday provoking US fury. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey senator who is chairing the hearing, received $2000 in 2008 for his senate campaign.

Last week, he said: "If BP are found to have gained access to Libyan oil reserves by using a mass murderer as a bargaining chip then ... any money they make off of that oil is blood money."

New York senator Kirsten Gillibrand called for "greater transparency".

But documents show that she received a $750 donation this year.

Thanks to Hot Air for the link. Commenter Wyatt notes the delusional slob at LGF calls me a "wingnut liar" for daring to mention this. He gets very upset when anyone mentions something that embarrasses the current occupant of the White House.

Maybe he should just spare himself the misery and ride his bike off the Santa Monica Pier.

Shipwreck: Kerry's Luxury Yacht Built in New Zealand

Not only did Massachusetts Senator John Kerry dodge helping feed the children by skipping out on his state taxes, but now we discover the Good Ship Lurch wasn't even built in the United States. He obviously doesn't care about helping struggling American families while throwing his sugar mama's money around.

New England boat builders say shame on Sen. John Kerry for buying a $7 million New Zealand-built luxury yacht while local ship makers struggle to find work.

“Darn, that would have been a wonderful job for a Maine builder,” said Jane Wellehan, president of the trade group Maine Built Boats. “If someone comes to build a $7 million boat that would employ half the population of some towns for a year or two. Boat building is such a critical component of our coastal economy.”

Gregory Egan, who owns the Crosby Yacht Yard in Osterville, said Bay State boat builders must feel cut adrift by Kerry as well.

“I’m confident that anything constructed in New Zealand could be constructed here in the state,” he said. “From a political perspective, it seems to me he could have thought twice about that one.”

News that Kerry was docking the 76-foot custom-built sloop in Newport, R.I., was first reported in the Herald Friday. Sources told the Herald the yacht cost $7 million, meaning Kerry would owe the state more than $500,000 in excise and sales taxes.

The Isabel has two VIP main cabins, a glossy teak interior and a wet bar and wine storage in the pilothouse. It is billed as a “departure from the norm in the opulent world of yachting” and designed to be piloted without a crew.

With the nation enduring a nasty economy, painful joblessness and extreme belt-tightening, word of the luxury yacht’s foreign construction - as Americans yearn for work - could create a political tempest for Kerry.

“The message is, ‘The American boat builders aren’t good enough, and the Massachusetts people aren’t good enough to maintain it.’ It’s just a bad message all around,” said Connecticut boater Steve Potter, who docks in Charlestown.

The commenters at the link are having a field day.

Howie Carr weighs in.

This is the most amusing story of the summer, by far. Great work, Inside Track. You can tell how devastating it is by the way the Globe is giving it a good leaving-alone, with wire copy. Yes, the Globe, the same dying broadsheet that railed for days about how two small-fry pols named Christy Mihos and Jack E. Robinson were trying to avoid paying their, uh, fair share of taxes on boats that were basically dinghies, at least compared to the Botched Joke.

Of course the difference was Mihos and Robinson were Republicans. Liveshot is one of the Beautiful People. Nothing to see here folks, move along. Filthy-rich Democrats refusing to pay their taxes isn’t news. Just ask Charlie Rangel, or Tim Geithner, or Tom Daschle.

Do as I say, not as I do. Taxes for thee but not for me. Just like when the Kennedys were allowed to file Rose’s will for probate in low-tax Florida, even though she hadn’t left Massachusetts for the last 12 years of her life.

John Kerry was for higher taxes before he was against them.

If he doesn’t like the name Botched Joke, perhaps Liveshot could take a hint from an old Beach Boys song and call it the Sloop Tax Free. Or go further back in musical history and lift the title of an old Louie Prima tune - the S.S. Just a Gigolo. Or the S.S. Manny Ortiz, or the S.S. Flip Flop.

Or maybe the S.S. Do You Know Who I Am?

'I Don't Have the Facts'

For a guy without the facts, he sure has managed to destroy his credibility for the better part of two years now. Feverishly stalking Sarah Palin's uterus has brought us to this epochal moment.

I don't believe Palin's current story. But since I don't have the facts and sources to construct an alternative, my task is now over. I will stay vigilant for any and all new facts that we may get; and I sure won't let this go if more comes to light. But we're going around in circles now.

Shit happens when you refuse to put down the bong.

I give him a week until he discovers some new "facts" to delve into.

Obama Addresses Nutroots Clowns

A press aide from MSNBC chimes in, but I don't recognize his face. So nice to see the synergy between the White House and a so-called "news" organization.

Whatever the case, these clowns may be the only ones listening to him any more. Basic theme of his message is to be patient, he's working as hard as he can to screw things up.

Thanks to Doug Powers for the link at Michelle Malkin.

Ethics Schmethics: Rangel Using Campaign Cash to Pay for Defense

Gee, this all seems a bit unethical, no?

Charles Rangel's legal bills are piling up as high as the campaign cash he's raking in to pay for his ethics defense.

That leaves the Harlem Democrat with no choice but to run for, and win, a 21st term in the House to keep raising campaign money to pay legal fees - which top $1.7 million, records show.

"It's perverse - he's got to keep doing it," said Solomon Wisenberg, a former independent counsel who probed ex-President Bill Clinton's sex scandal.

If Rangel wins reelection he can continue dialing for dollars to pay D.C.'s primo law firms.

If he loses or resigns, the House probe would end but he might have to dig into his own pockets to pay his legal debts.

God forbid a corrupt hack like Rangel digs into his own pocket to defend himself. Can a bailout be far behind?

Meanwhile, the Good Ship Chuckles is springing a leak.

In a major development, Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Ohio) on Friday night called on beleaguered Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) to resign.

Sutton's statement comes one day after the House ethics committee charged the 80-year-old Democrat with multiple violations.

In a statement to The Hill, Sutton stated, "It is regrettable, but Charlie Rangel needs to resign from his seat in Congress. This isn’t about being a Democrat or Republican, this is about preserving the public trust. Our nation is facing extraordinary challenges and must be focused on building a sustainable economy that will allow our workers and businesses to flourish."

There's that annoying term again: sustainable. Well, it appears Rangel's sustainability is just about nil.

Why it was less than three weeks ago the AP desperately tried to prop up Rangel by telling us how much everyone loved him.

"When the venom is out of the air, Charlie will be remembered as one of the most extraordinary political leaders in the history of this country."

Reallly? And what venom is that, exactly?

Oh yeah, maybe they can still play the race card to salvage Rangel. That can't be far off.

Where's the JournoList when you need it? Is Spency Ackerman still alive?

Thanks to Hot Air for the link.

Indian Census Groups Housewives With Prostitutes, Beggars and Prisoners

Eh, it could be worse. They could lump them in with politicians.

NDIA'S Supreme Court criticised the country's Census for grouping housewives with prostitutes, beggars and prisoners in the survey's "economically non-productive" category, The Times of India reported overnight.

The censure came as two justices agreed to increase the compensation awarded to a man whose wife died in an accident.

"This bias is shockingly prevalent in the work of Census," Justice A K Ganguly said. "In the Census of 2001, it appears that those who are doing household duties like cooking, cleaning of utensils, looking after children, fetching water, collecting firewood have been categorised as non-workers and equated with beggars, prostitutes and prisoners who, according to Census, are not engaged in economically productive work."

Heh: Obama Plans to Teach His Kids About Saving and Money Management

At the rate he's bankrupting the nation, his kids may be the only teenagers able to find employment in a few years. Behold the breathtaking hypocrisy of a man racking up trillions in debt yet he's going to teach the children about how to save money and manage it wisely.

You can't make this stuff up.

Malia and Sasha Obama are going to join the baby-sitters club.

President Obama said his two daughters will be expected to take up baby-sitting jobs when they become teenagers, the President told ABC's "Good Morning America."

Even though the two girls live in the White House and are protected by security guards, he still wants to teach Malia, 12, and Sasha, 9, about savings, money management and interest.

"What I'm doing now with Malia and Sasha is — they're getting an allowance, the President said. "They're starting to get old enough where they may be able to earn some money baby-sitting. They've got their own savings accounts."

In February 2009, the girls each got $1 a week, which critics said was too low of an amount, according to CBS News.

Obama added that he and First Lady Michelle Obama are "not that far removed from what most Americans are going through."

Sure. Except for traipsing around on Air Force One, flying in your own personal chef, weekly golf appointments and concerts at the White House, why, he's just one of us.

Figures: Kerry Docks Luxury Yacht in RI to Avoid MA Taxes

The sickening hypocrisy of these liberals is just breathtaking. They've bled our economy dry, we're permanently indebted, they call us unpatriotic for complaining about excessive taxation, yet when it comes time to save some pocket change for a gazillionaire, they take advantage of every loophole.

Ridiculous.

Sen. John Kerry, who has repeatedly voted to raise taxes while in Congress, dodged a whopping six-figure state tax bill on his new multimillion-dollar yacht by mooring her in Newport, R.I.

Isabel - Kerry’s luxe, 76-foot New Zealand-built Friendship sloop with an Edwardian-style, glossy varnished teak interior, two VIP main cabins and a pilothouse fitted with a wet bar and cold wine storage - was designed by Rhode Island boat designer Ted Fontaine.

But instead of berthing the vessel in Nantucket, where the senator summers with the missus, Teresa Heinz, Isabel’s hailing port is listed as “Newport” on her stern.

Could the reason be that the Ocean State repealed its Boat Sales and Use Tax back in 1993, making the tiny state to the south a haven - like the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Nassau - for tax-skirting luxury yacht owners?

Cash-strapped Massachusetts still collects a 6.25 percent sales tax and an annual excise tax on yachts. Sources say Isabel sold for something in the neighborhood of $7 million, meaning Kerry saved approximately $437,500 in sales tax and an annual excise tax of about $70,000.

We have unemployment at 10%, new legislation costing trillions shoved down out throats every week, an economic forecast as bleak as can be and then an architect of that mess is skipping town to avoid paying taxes he forces on everyone else. Mind-numbing hypocrisy.

Thanks to Instapundit and Hot Air for the links.

'It's Time For Him to Move On'

If only we had term limits, this guy would have moved on in 1976. Well, it's never too late to return to the private sector, now is it?

The news that Rep. Charles Rangel faces multiple ethics charges traveled fast in Harlem, where some of his disgusted constituents said they've had enough of their scandal-scarred congressman.

"It's sad. I'm sad. I trusted him," said Michelle Thomas, a Harlem retiree.

"If he represents the people, he has to set an example for the people. We pay taxes. He should pay taxes."

Alexandra Rawles, 41, said she's not going to vote for Rangel again.

"It's time for him to move on," said Rawles, a Democrat like the congressman.

When asked what the final straw was for her, she grimaced and said, "All those apartments!" in reference to one of the more serious ethics violations against him.

Rangel's four rent-regulated apartments also infuriated another Democratic constituent, who said he'd pull the lever for someone else come Election Day.

"I live in the [building] where Rangel has all the apartments. I didn't care for that apartment scam at all," fumed the voter, who didn't want to give his name.

He said he wasn't sure for whom he'd vote, but it would "never" be Rangel.

Rangel's ego is far too big to step aside and sadly enough, he'll probably waltz to an easy victory in November.

Other Democrats are extremely nervous, with good reason.

But Democrats in tough districts are extremely nervous, fearing the GOP will pummel them with the Rangel case.

"If it's really bad, a whole lot of people will be calling [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi at once," asking her to push Rangel out, an aide said.

One staffer for a Democrat in a red-leaning district lamented Rangel's strong support from the speaker, who likes the Harlem scion immensely.

"Pelosi's close relationship with Rangel isn't doing anyone any good," the staffer said.

Sloan predicted revelations from a trial could just be too much.

Sorry, folks. You stood by him, you own him.

Your problem.

Finally, Time to Relax: Obama to Vacation in Florida

Man, this guy has just been so busy and never gets any down time. SO nice to see the hole plugger get away for a little rest, relaxation and an endless series of photo ops.

The White House announced Thursday that President Obama and the first family will be vacationing next month on the Florida Gulf Coast.

President Obama and the first lady have both made trips down to the area since the spill began. Both Barack and Michelle have encouraged people to come vacation here and see for themselves how beautiful our beaches are.

President Obama has made four trips to the Gulf Coast since the crude crisis began. His fifth trip however will be one for pleasure. Something locals say is a huge help to the economy.

Of course some locals, obviously racist, are suspicious.

"I would have to say I really don't think he is doing it for a good reason. I think he is just trying to get more publicity and try to get his campaign and more people to vote for him next year."

My, my. Maybe we need a Cynicism Summit to help dispel the notion this guy is a slacker just looking some some good publicity.

Cranky Old Thug Faces Ethics Charges

A shame the JournoList no longer exists or this story would die quickly. Oh, who am I kidding? What's left of the media will downplay this anyway and just bring up Jack Abramoff or something.

A House investigative committee on Thursday charged New York Rep. Charles Rangel with multiple ethics violations, a blow to the former Ways and Means chairman and an election-year headache for Democrats.

The committee did not immediately specify the charges against the Democrat, who has served in the House for some 40 years and is fourth in House seniority. The announcement by a four-member panel of the House ethics committee sends the case to a House trial, where a separate eight-member panel of Republicans and Democrats will decide whether the violations can be proved by clear and convincing evidence.

The timing of the announcement ensures that it will stretch into the fall campaign, and Republicans are certain to make it an issue as they try to capture majority control of the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi had once promised to “drain the swamp” of ethical misdeeds by lawmakers in arguing that Democrats should be in charge.

Rangel led the tax-writing Ways and Means panel until he stepped aside last March after the ethics committee criticized him in a separate case — finding that he should have known corporate money was paying for his trips to two Caribbean conferences.

Officials said that in the current case, the committee and Rangel’s attorney tried unsuccessfully to negotiate a settlement. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private discussions. A settlement would have required Rangel to agree that he violated ethics rules.

A bright shining star of The Most Ethical Congress Ever.

Finally! The Anna Chapman Action Figure

Can blow-up dolls be far behind?

Anna Chapman is the Russian Barbie.

The sexy secret agent has been deported, but she's now available on U.S. soil in fully-joined plastic.

The doll manufacturer Herobuilders.com [Warning--Plastic semi-nudity--ed.] has created two action figures of the flame-haired spy and is selling them online for $29.95.

"The Predator" figure features her in a white cropped vest, high-waisted jeans and black revolver. The second action doll, dubbed "The Spy I Could Love," is wearing a tartan skirt - and nothing else.

'I Want to Get the Leading Role as the Monkey King'

Some guys will do anything to be the Monkey King.

One of the world's hairiest men is to have plastic surgery - because he thinks his nose is too big.

Yu Zhenghuan, renowned in China as 'Hairy Man', is covered in thick black hair with the exception of his forehead and fingertips.

Quirky China News reports the hirsute celebrity has decided to go under the knife after being turned down for the part of 'The Monkey King' in a Chinese TV drama, on the grounds that his nose was too large.

"I could only get a supporting role as a monkey," a downcast Yu explained. "I want to get the leading role as the Monkey King."

Surgeons at the Military Guangxi General Hospital hope his nose op will not only land him his dream part, but clear the thick hair in his nostrils which causes Yu breathing difficulties.