High Pitched Senate Stakes

Actress Fran Drescher of "The Nanny" has expressed interest in the US Senate seat being vacated by Sen Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

A merciful God will not let me live long enough to hear the dreaded Drescher/Palin debates! (CNN)

Heard the One About the Congresswoman and the Astronaut?

So an Arizona Congresswoman walks into a bar at the Baltimore airport and asks to switch the TV from sports to the NASA channel.

No joke.

Rep Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) breezed into a BWI Airport bar on her flight back from her district. She was wanting to check up on her husband's flight. Hubbie Mark Kelly is commanding the latest Space Shuttle mission -- and Rep Giffords was just in time to catch his rendezvous with the International Space Station.

Hey, the O's were losing anyway! (WaPo)

Pig Book

First Tee is an outfit that strives to help disadvantaged youths by teaching them golf.

Noble cause.

It's headed up by some heavy hitting corporate types who should be pretty good at raising money through charitible donations.

Instead, Uncle Sam is shelling out $3 million a year for golf lessons thanks to Rep James Clyburn (D-SC) who gave First Tee the cash in an earmark.

"You know, when you're at war, and you know you got a war on two fronts, the first thing you think of is golf, isn't it?" Leslie Paige, vice president of Citizens Against Government Waste.

It's just one of the examples of pork barrel spending highlighted in this year's Pig Book. Citizens Against Government Waste publishes the annual list of pork, They released the latest edition today. It came up with $17.2 billion in pork. (CBS)

Congressman Charged in Land Deal

Rep Rick Renzi (R-AZ) has been indicted for extortion, wire fraud, money laundering and other charges stemming from an Arizona land deal.

He's accused of trying to sell land that could be swapped for federally owned land. (AP)

What will Bill Gates do with HIS $300 Rebate?

In another case of life imitating Futurama, Congress has agreed to an economic stimulus package that'll hand kick back at least 300 bucks to each taxpayer.

From the Washington Post:

Under the deal, nearly everyone earning a paycheck would receive at least $300 from the Internal Revenue Service. Most workers would receive rebates of $600 each, or $1,200 per couple. Families with children would receive an additional payment of $300 per child. Workers who earned at least $3,000 last year -- but not enough to pay income taxes -- would be eligible for $300.

Better than that, from Futurama (Three Hundred Big Boys):

Richard Nixon's Head: I've sent you each 300 buckeroos. In the form of a tricky Dick fun bill. Knock yourselves out!
Amy Wong: I'm slightly richer!
Bender: What to do, what to do. One 300 dollar hookerbot or 300 one dollar hookerbots?

Total cost of the real package -- $145 billion. That'd buy a lot of hookerbots of either persuasion! (WaPo)

War Numbers Just a Few Billion Off

How much are the wars really costing?

A top Republican supporter of US involvement in Iraq says it's a lot more than the White House claims. From the Washington Post, quoting Sen Ted Stevens (R-AK) in a Decembber 18 floor speech:

'This cost of this war is approaching $15 billion a month, with the Army spending $4.2 billion of that every month.' Sen Ted Stevens (R-AK), the ranking Republican on the Appropriations defense subcommittee

The adminstration's estimate is about three billion a month below that: $11.7 billion. (WashPost)

Former Congressman Henry Hyde dies

Former Rep Henry Hyde (R-IL) has died. He'd had open heart surgery over the summer and suffered complications afterward.

Rep Hyde retired from the House last year after serving 32 years in Congress. He was known for opposing government funding for abortions and was a central figure in the impeachment of then President Bill Clinton while on the House Judiciary Committee. (Sun Times)

Hastert Leaves the House

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) has resigned from Congress. He says the sudden departure will allow Illinois to hold a special election to replace him at the same time as next year's Illinois Presidential primary. From the Chicago Tribune:

Under state law, it's up to Gov. Rod Blagojevich to call a special election, and he has to set the date within five days of Hastert's resignation, which took effect at 10:59 p.m. Monday. By law, the seat must be filled within 120 days.

Rep Hastert says he's not explored job prospects -- citing a potential conflict of interest while still serving in Congress. (Chicago Tribune)

Trent Lott Callis it Quits

Sen Trent Lott (R-MS) will resign from the US Senate before the year's end. He isn't saying what he plans to do, but the former Senate Majority Leader could beat a deadline to start work as a lobbyist sooner. From the New York Times:

By resigning before the end of the year, Mr. Lott would beat the effective date for new ethics rules that double to two years the amount of time former Senators must wait before they can join a firm to lobby former colleagues. The new rule applies to those who leave office “on or after” Dec. 31.

He has spent 35 years in the House and Senate.

Pork Map

Earmarkwatch.org lets you see where the pork's going in Congress' spending bills. You can actually see it on a map.

It also lets you contribute your own research or discovery of pork barrel spending. The Washington Post reports:

Three users of the site recently ran down an earmark for ICRC Solutions, an Alaska company that received $1 million for a Land and Sea Special Operations all-terrain vehicle known as a LASSO. In comments posted on the site, users said the company's chief executive is James Lexo, a former aide to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and a big campaign contributor.

And the Post found a million bucks spent on socks for Marines and another million for "Extended Cold Weather Clothing System" -- something the rest of us call "gloves." Bothe were going to Congress members who had factories in their districts or states landing the contracts.

'Hidden Costs' Double Price Wars

Congressional Democrats claim hidden economic costs have raised the pricetag of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to $1.5 trillion. From the Washington Post:

"That amount is nearly double the $804 billion the White House has spent or requested to wage these wars through 2008, according to the Democratic staff of Congress's Joint Economic Committee. Its report, titled 'The Hidden Costs of the Iraq War,' estimates that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have thus far cost the average U.S. family of four more than $20,000. "

What are the hidden costs?

The report says the war is diverting investments in America and taking Reservists and National Guardsmen away from their civilian jobs. (WaPo)

Is a Public Restroom Among Larry Craig's Earmarks?

Senate Republican Leaders have taken a wide stance on Senator Larry Craig's (D-ID) pork barrel spending.

The Senator had promised to resign if he couldn't get his conviction for soliciting sex in an airport bathroom overturned.

The court upheld his conviction -- and the Senator decided to back out of his resignation -- and hang around Capitol Hill.

Taxpayers for Common Sense reports Senator Craig also has his name on about 84 earmarks -- 22 of those in his name alone.

Earmarks are special spending items -- slipped in for a pet project or a special interest.

Seven of those projects alone are worth more than $7 million.

His party's leadership could punish him by cutting off the pork. They haven't.

But you have to wonder -- are any of those pork barrel projects for a public restroom? (The Hill)

Billion Dollar Relics

When the Air Force took delivery of its first KC-135 tanker, Sputnik hadn't flown, the Edsel was still on the drawing board, and "Gunsmoke" was the number one rated television show in America.

The Air Force wants to retire 85 of the old planes. It considers 52 of those "parked" -- unable to fly.

But some folks in Congress refuse to let the Air Force retire the planes -- forcing the military to pay millions to keep the rusting relics on the flightline for missions that will never come.

There are other restrictions on other aging aircraft -- so worn out, the Air Force is afraid to fly them.

But Congress members keep them on the books -- at billions of dollars billed to taxpayers -- so they can keep an air base open in their district -- or steer contracts toward companies that try to fix up the old planes.

In the case of repairing worn out C-5 Galaxies -- the bill might come to $11 billion dollars. (WaPo)

US Embassy in Iraq Behind Schedule and Over Budget

The US embassy in Iraq was supposed to open last month. Now, no one is sure when it'll be completed. From Reuters:

"The sprawling complex, whose cost is edging toward $750 million, was set to open last month but U.S. lawmakers say shoddy work by the contractor and poor oversight by the State Department have delayed it."

Chairman of a key House oversight committee has sent Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to explain the delays and costs. (Reuters)

You Gotta Spend War to Make Money

Remember that war in Iraq that was only going to cost $60 billion tops? You know, the one edging toward $1 trillion now?

The chairman of the House Appropriations Committee suggests a War Surtax. With the administration now asking for $200 billion in temporary funding, Chairman David Obey (D-WI) figures it'd be a good time to start paying for it.

Not so says Sen Lindsey Graham (D-SC). He says wars pay for themselves. From NPR:

"You pay for the war by winning the war. This is not an accounting exercise. How did we pay for World War II? Everybody rolled up their sleeves and did the best they could."

Americans also paid a war surtax. (NPR)

Shut Up and Take Your Airplanes

The Air Force is getting 10 spanking new C-17 cargo planes. Thing is, the Air Force doesn't want them.

But Congress has ordered the Air Force to take $2.4 billion of it's budget and buy the planes anyway.

The Air Force says it has plenty of the planes -- large, four-engine jets that can ferry men and equipment anywhere in the world.

But, part of the C-17 Globemaster III's are built in Texas. And the Texas delegation on Capitol Hill slipped a provision into a defense authorization bill to keep lobbyists and home state voters happy. The order would mean the Air Force would have to cut back on other things it needs or wants to order the extra planes. (Houston Chronicle)

Pink Slips at Blackwater

What exactly do you have to do to lose your job as a mercenary? A Congressional investigation has found that Blackwater USA -- the security contractor -- had to pink slip 122 people in three years. From USA Today:

"Private security contractor Blackwater USA has had to fire 122 employees over the past three years for problems ranging from misusing weapons, alcohol and drug violations, inappropriate conduct, and violent behavior, according to a report released Monday by a congressional committee."

The report to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee shows the security firm averages 1.4 shooting incidents a week. And it says 80% of the firings came in cases where the employee -- required by government contract to act in defense only -- shot first. (USAToday)

The New Whigs

The Associated Press reports on gallows humor among Republicans looking at next year's chances for Congressional races. Rep Tom Davis (R-VA) jokes about his party going the way of the Whigs. From the AP:

"Fundraising for Republican campaign organizations lags. That is strikingly so in the House, where the party committee spent more than it raised in each of the past two months, reported only $1.6 million in the bank at the end of August and a debt of nearly $4 million. Democrats reported $22.1 million in the bank and a debt of slightly more than $3 million."

On top of that, the Democrats are recruiting top tier candidates in several states with open seats -- while the GOP is having a hard time talking people into running. (AP via Yahoo!)

Too Many Mosques -- Unedited

Rep Peter King (R-NY) has tried to back off from an interview in which he said there are too many mosques in America:

"Unfortunately, we have too many mosques in this country. There's too many people who are sympathetic to radical Islam. We should be looking at them more carefully. We should be finding out how we can infiltrate. We should be much more aggressive in law enforcement." -- Rep King, in an interview with Politico.com

Now he says the quote was taken out of context. So, Politico.com turned to YouTube to let you decide on the context:

Making the Culture of Corruption List

Watchdog group CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) has a new list of the "22 Most Corrupt Members of Congress."

Nineteen Republicans and three Democrats are on the list.

How bad do you have to be to make the list? Sen Larry Craig (R-ID) and Sen David Vitter (R-LA) only got a "dishonorable mention."

Says something when pleading guilty to soliciting sex in a men's room and hanking out with hookers won't even get you into the top 20. (CREW)