From The Politico:

Flake screws McHenry

Republican Rep. Jeff Flake of Arizona — with the help of plenty of Democrats — just screwed his GOP colleague Patrick McHenry out of earmarked money for a project in the latter's western North Carolina district.

It is the first amendment Flake has ever passed to strip money from the annual spending bills.

"Congressman Flake didn't think he'd bring down his first earmark with friendly fire," remarked his spokesman Matthew Specht.

Flake succeeded by winning over Democrats who usually vote against him. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) explained why he had made an exception in this case.

"It was resentment over his hypocrisy in leading the fight against earmarks and then offering one of lesser value," Frank said. "I think penalizing hypocrisy is a legitimate response in politics."

Many Democrats have a particular dislike for McHenry's biting floor speeches. Flake's amendment gave them an opportunity for revenge.

Al Gore, however, could enter the race as the leader. When his name is added, Clinton loses more than a quarter of her support, while Gore is backed by 32 percent.

1. If, and only if you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.

In a straight party-line vote, the Judiciary Committee of the New York State Assembly this afternoon approved the marriage equality bill introduced by Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer in April and sponsored by Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and Senator Tom Duane.

The favorable vote out of Judiciary is a strong predictor that the full Assembly will approve the measure later this week.

Specifically, four of the Democrats who supported the measure today - Helene Weinstein of Queens, the Committee chair; Peter Rivera of the Bronx; Michele Titus of Queens; and Kenneth Zebrowski, Jr., of Rockland County - were all to-date publicly neutral. The shift of four Democrats in a group of 16 confirms the party's coalescence around the measure.

The gay and political blogospheres have been abuzz with “news” of the “outing” of 18 year old Tyler Whitney, a staffer and webmaster for the Republican Tom Tancredo’s campaign for the Presidency.
...
I say, give the kid a freakin’ break. Yeah… “kid.” Let’s not forget the boy is only 18 years old. Fresh out of high school.

Whitney

...I think there’s a right to privacy. But the right to privacy should not be a right to hypocrisy ... people who want to demonize other people shouldn't then be able to go home and close the door, and do it themselves.

Flynt said he expects "2 to 4 percent" of the leads to develop into solid publishable information and wouldn't name names; but he's looking into, among others, "a couple of (congressmen) who are gay and they're voting against every piece of legislation that would adversely affect gays."

Hustler magazine is looking for some scandalous sex in Washington again -- and willing to pay for it.

"Have you had a sexual encounter with a current member of the United States Congress or a high-ranking government official?" read a full-page advertisement taken out by Larry Flynt's pornographic magazine in Sunday's Washington Post.

It offered $1 million for documented evidence of illicit intimate relations with a congressman, senator or other prominent officeholder. A toll-free number and e-mail address were provided.

Impeach The Bastard!

ASSHOLE OF THE MONTH: Larry Craig

Hypocritical Idaho Senator Larry Craig is the latest GOP politician accused of privately practicing homosexuality while publicly opposing gay rights. Craig formerly held the Senate’s fourth-highest leadership position, once sat on the National Rifle Association’s board and voted for federal and state measures banning same-sex marriage. But now—like his fellow Republican, ex-Congressman Mark Foley of Florida—Craig has been accused of fooling around with the male of the species.

In November ’06, Mike Rogers—whom liberal talk show host Ed Schultz called the “top activist gay blogger”—appeared on Big Eddie’s nationally syndicated radio program and claimed that at least three men had had homosexual relations with Senator Craig. Two of the encounters reportedly took place in the Pacific Northwest. (With Mounties?) Craig allegedly had liaisons with a third man in bathrooms at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. (Choo-choo! All aboard!) The gay journalist added that none of the men said to have been involved were minors and that all requested anonymity.