Sleaze Takes a Holiday

Paul Krugman
David Brooks
Henry Kissenger

"Sure I helped my mistress' husband find work after he left my staff, but I do that for all my former staffers."



Proving that he's more swayed by the influence of his Russian and Chinese friends on how to handle the situation, this morning Iran's Supreme Leader Ayetollah Khamenei told a large audience that he supported Ahmadinejad because "Mahmoud, I am your father..." no, wait, that's another power crazed intergalactic badguy suffering from delusions. He told the crowd that: "ended any doubts about his support for the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, rejecting opposition complaints that last week's election results were manipulated and calling for an end to street demonstrations that have embroiled this capital for a week.

In a special address at a Friday prayer service, Khamenei warned that protest leaders would be held responsible for any violence resulting from a continuation of the demonstrations. Khamenei, 69, a Shiite Muslim cleric who holds ultimate political and religious authority under Iran's theocratic system, told the tens of thousands of people who spilled out of a covered pavilion at Tehran University that the election is over and that "the Islamic republic never betrays the votes of people."

Remember, just like what happened in China, if you are out on the streets engaged in a peaceful demonstraton, it will be your fault if we have to hurt, maim, or kill you. Let's just say the Supreme Leader is also not the brightest dictator to ever hide within a cleric's robe...

While the world's attention was on Iran, not much happenned in the US that would cause us embarrassment. HA HA HA!
We begin with president Obama's two faced promises to gay Americans, Wednesday signinga memorandum that takes effect only while he is in office, extending medical and insurance rights to partners of gay federal employees. And, as reported by the Washington Times: "The administration is making the move as Mr. Obama faces criticism for not repealing "don't ask, don't tell" as he promised on the campaign trail. The policy, implemented under President Clinton, bans openly gay people from serving in the military.

Under the policy, gay Arabic translators have been dismissed, and some are angry with Mr. Obama since the White House has not intervened in the pending cases of military officials facing courts martial under "don't ask-don't tell." Well, that's one campaign promise left to twist in the wind...


Republican Senator from Nevada, John Ensign proving that a good defense is a great offense, announced that he'd had an affair with one of his staff members over a year ago, as reported by Politico: "Sen. John Ensign revealed that he’d had an extramarital affair just days after the husband of his mistress attempted to take the story to Fox News.

On June 11 – five days before Ensign acknowledged the affair at a press briefing in Las Vegas – Doug Hampton wrote to Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, requesting that she investigate charges that the senator’s behavior made him unfit to serve in Republican leadership.

In his letter, Hampton – whose wife had the affair with Ensign – charged that he had previously confronted Ensign about the affair in front of one of his Washington housemates, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.“Senator Ensign’s conduct and relentless pursuit of my wife led to our dismissal in April of 2008,” Hampton wrote. “I would like to say he stopped his heinous conduct and pursuit upon our leaving, but that was not the case and his actions did not subside until August of 2008.”

Senator Ensign doubled the woman's salary while they were having an affair, got her another job as staff on a Republican committee that he chaired, helped her son get a job, and helped her husband find another job after he left his employ. It's not clear why the husband waited so long to come forward with the information. Ensign originally said that Hampton was trying to blackmail him, but no complaints were ever filed in Nevada or Washington, as it's a Federal offense. Nor have prostitution charges been filed against the woman, for receiving money while having the affair.

Ensign resigned from his leadership post in Congress, but will not resign altogether, crocodile tears flowing down his face, oh haven't I suffered enough already?. Fellow Republicans have made no comments, probably afraid that they will be investigated next... In fact, they are trying to downplay the whole thing as a plain, vanilla run of the mill affair in an era that includes: "Sting operations in bathroom stalls (Larry Craig). Lewd IM exchanges with underage pages (Mark Foley). Prostitution rings frequented by a governor who spearheaded prosecution of prostitution rings (Eliot Spitzer). Plus, John Edwards. Plus, Kwame Kilpatrick. Plus, David Vitter."

The problem with this sordid affair is that the Republicans often take a "we are more moral than you are" type of wide stance in public," we believe in the sanctity of marriage" better than you ever will, that often comes back to hurt them when confronted with the normal sleazy morals of politicians of alll stripes. And John Ensign spent a lot of time condemning others. He's hoping that he won't be investigated futher, revealing what an unfaithful horndog he really is...


late night jokes:

"And I just want to say a word of thanks to the great CBS television network. They've been wonderful through everything. But yesterday, I thought maybe they were just a little too eager to cash in on this whole thing with the rally. I mean, at the CBS store out on the corner, you know, they were selling highly flammable Dave Letterman effigies." --David Letterman

"Well, here's more big news going on in Iran. You folks been following the Iranian elections? Well, here it is. It's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his opponent, Mir Hussein Moussavi. And they had one of those friendly bets. If Ahmadinejad wins the election, he gets a crate of figs, see. If Moussavi wins the election, he gets brutally slain." --David Letterman

"So now they're going through the recount. They're recounting the ballots cast in the Iranian election, and today they found 14 more votes for Norm Coleman." --David Letterman

"It's illegal for rallies or demonstrations in Iran. But yet you turn on the news, and you see hundreds of thousands of people in the streets protesting, and the government says: 'No, no, no. That's not a public protest. Those are just people lining up to see 'The Hangover.'' --David Letterman

"Here's the breakdown of the Iranian election: 63 percent of the vote for Ahmadinejad; Moussavi, he's got 34 percent of the vote; and 3 percent of the vote goes to Ralph Nader." --David Letterman

"But now, Barack Obama says that four of the Guantánamo prisoners are going to Bermuda. Same thing CBS is trying to do with me." --David Letterman

"Don't kid yourself. You're thinking, Bermuda, tough, really? Yes, yes. Let me answer that for you. The prisons in Bermuda are no laughing matter. It's a tough place: no flip-flops in the dining room." --David Letterman

"Well, our old friend John McCain -- and I think we should all follow this man's example -- bought a hybrid car. It's not his first hybrid car. His first one was actually a horse and buggy." --David Letterman

"Yeah, it's a hybrid car. I hear this one runs on gasoline and Metamucil." --David Letterman

"People are suspecting that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election may have been a sham because he's claiming he won by a 2-1 margin. They're also suspicious of Ahmadinejad's claim that he's dating Megan Fox." --Conan O'Brien

"The bad economy is affecting the numbers of available jobs. So, many new college graduates are choosing to spend a year volunteering at a nonprofit organization. These nonprofit organizations include Chrysler and GM" --Conan O'Brien

"President Obama hard at work on the health-care situation. His new health-care bill proposal is so expensive, though, Democrats are looking for ways to trim it back. One plan is so drastic, it will only offer coverage for Jon and Kate plus three." --Conan O'Brien

"It has been reported that Twitter usage ... is up a staggering 1300% since last year. 1300%. Yeah, folks, it's hard to imagine that just one year ago, most of us had no idea what Wilmer Valderrama was having for lunch." --Conan O'Brien