John Harwood and Gerald Seib's new book "Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power" is accurately subtitled. This is not about profiles in courage, but profiles of powerbrokers -- inside and outside government, of both parties, and in various kinds of jobs. Welcome, John and Jerry, to the FDL Book Salon!

Move over Liz "Sprinkles" Sidoti.  There's a new fangirl in town: Steve Schmidt has made a career out of not being a creature of Washington. If the 2008 campaign were an action film, he would play the tough-talking Steven Seagal character, an idiosyncratic hero who is duty-bound to rescue the desperate from burning buildings (which Schmidt literally did last Christmas), but who longs to retreat into his easygoing world of family and suburbia. Next up, the WaPo's Lois Romano asks Steve Schmidt for an autograph on her McCain campaign sun visor while squealing like a Beatlemania re-enactment teenybopper.

Fifteen Days, Three Editorials, 1700 words of wanking for ANY occasion.

Showing that one thing that comes with a six-figure (minimum) salary for punditry is a complete lack of creativity.Yes, the MEME must be renewed, revisited, restated, regurgitated.From Bill Kristol, to Ron Fournier, to Chuck the theme must be laid down.The black man is arrogant!

Today, thanks to your contributions, we're taking out a full page ad in the Washington Post (PDF) along with Color of Change calling out the the political establishment for their complicity in this shameful event.

As we announced the other day, we're setting up a money bomb to go off on August 8 on behalf of constitutional rights and civil liberties in America. You can pledge your donation here, which will be used to fund our efforts to hold our elected officials -- both Democrat and Republican -- accountable to the oath they take to uphold the constitution.

Marcy details a bit of worry at the Bush WH regarding potential re-opening of the Fitzgerald investigation and related matters Reps. Conyers and Waxman's committees. And I wondered whether it might have even more to do about what we do not yet know about the WHIG. At this end of a long stand-off with Dick Cheney's office, what would the folks at CIA and DOD be willing to now reveal to Congressional investigators who asked the right questions. Of course, they have to actually ask them first.

The Walter Pincus page strikes again...

When you are cheering a war on there is no punishment at all for being wrong. Richard Cohen still draws a copious paycheck for his ineptitude. Failure is rewarded, as long as you cheer for the bombs to fall.

Sen. John McCain isn't the only Beltway regular with memory lapses. Yesterday the WaPo showed the same problem in writing about his apparent psychiatric symptoms. Something in D.C.'s water -- or something in the rarified air the Villagers share?

If you're like me, and I know I am, on the serious questions of the day, you look to our nation's most plentiful natural resource, conservative pundits, to tell you how to think. And then you know you are correct in doing the opposite.

Dog bites man. Sun rises in east. The WaPo's Fred Hiatt tries to cover for Republicans. Watch Fred Hiatt make some fancy verbal footwork trying to hide the stinky dead elephant in the room that is John McCain's breaking campaign finance law.