by Bill in Portland Maine [courtesy of Daily Kos]

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...

Late Night Snark--now with EZ-GRIP handles:

"Anybody go down to the Crawford ranch for the big Jenna Bush wedding over the weekend? ... That was so sweet, because at the reception, President Bush danced with his lovely daughter. It's the first time he has led in eight years."
---David Letterman
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"It’s going to be a relatively small wedding with only her family’s loved ones---the CEOs of the five major oil companies."
---Jay Leno
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"This week, New York City Congressman Vito Fossella was arrested for drunk driving, then caught having an extramarital affair, then exposed for having a secret child with his mistress. Or, as it's known in Washington, the trifecta."
---Seth Meyers
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"The price of stamps is going up next week from 41 cents to 42 cents. 'Aw, that's cute,' said oil."
---Amy Poehler
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"In a recent speech, Barack Obama said he has visited all 57 states. After hearing this, President Bush said, "Ha Ha! He forgot Alaska and Hawaii."
---Conan O'Brien

And here's one for those who call Democrats out-of-touch elitists:

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"This is an impressive crowd---the haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base."
---George W. Bush
-

Nice tux, oh Man of the People.

by brownsox [courtesy of Daily Kos]

So says the New York Post, which reports that he is planning on seeking reelection:

Defying disgusted constituents and angry Republican leaders, disgraced Rep. Vito Fossella has told pals he plans to seek re-election.

And, shockingly, the Staten Island pol is feeling "pretty good," he confided to friends.

Well, I guess it's nice that he feels pretty good. If I were facing a possible jail sentence and my infidelity had been plastered over national news for weeks, I might not feel so hot.

Then again, maybe Vito just ain't part of the reality-based community:

Fossella's statements not only defy national party leaders, who have said they will not back him, but suggest the congressman may be in denial.

He even expressed shock that other Republicans are eyeing his seat.

"What's this all about?" Fossella asked Molinari, of news reports naming potential GOP candidates.

He said he was "surprised" and "puzzled" that party colleagues are being mentioned as possible replacements, Molinari said.

Boy, I can't imagine what would lead other Republicans-and Democrats-to smell blood in the water. Two Dems are already in the race, and Swing State Project reports that three more are considering.

Well, if Fossella does want to run for reeelection, then more power to him. I encourage him to keep this scandal in the New York City news for as long as it is within his power to do so.

by Mark Green [courtesy of Politics on HuffingtonPost.com]

This week three below-the-fold scandals threatened three politicians, but Barack Houdini easily escaped the chains of Rev. Wright. "The math" looks like it's too late for Clinton to stop him.

by brownsox [courtesy of Daily Kos]

On the heels of the fascinating drunken Vito Fossella love-child scandal (if you can come up with a pithy little term for this scandal, please do, we sure could use one), SurveyUSA has polled NY-13, and finds that voters, by and large, think Fossella should not resign. Voters are mixed on whether he should run for reelection, with Democrats generally feeling he should not, Republicans feeling that he should.

61% of adults from New York’s 13th Congressional District say their U.S. Representative, Republican Vito Fossella, should remain in office, according to an exclusive SurveyUSA poll conducted for WABC-TV in New York. 32% say Fossella should resign.

Both Republicans and Democrats say Fossella should stay put: 66% of Republicans and 55% of Democrats say he should remain in office.

...

Asked if Fossella should run for re-election in the fall, however, numbers shift somewhat: overall, 53% say he should seek re-election; 42% say he should not. Republicans say he should run by a margin of nearly 2-1; Democrats are divided equally on the question. Fully crosstabbed results of the poll are here.

However, Phillip at The Albany Project notes that the local media is adamant that Fossella should resign. From the New York Post:

That Fossella betrayed his wife and family is between him and them. But his betrayal of his constituents was only marginally less egregious.

Vito Fossella needs to just go away.

Now.

The Staten Island Advance and New York Daily News concur.

by Matt Stoller [courtesy of Open Left - Front Page]

by brownsox [courtesy of Daily Kos]

NE-Sen: Scott Kleeb now sports an endorsement from the Lincoln, NE Journal-Star. mcjoan has more on Kleeb, who is opposed by millionaire Republican-turned-Democrat Tony Raimondo in the Democratic primary. Raimondo rather cynically switched parties last year, figuring it was his best opportunity to buy a U.S. Senate seat, and he seems intent on doing just that, having dumped $450,000 of his own money into this race.

We're looking to raise $20,000 via 450 donors for Scott Kleeb, by the end of the day Friday. Contribute here!

MA-Sen, MA-05: Having lost a 2007 special election by a relatively narrow six-point margin to current Rep. Niki Tsongas, Republican Jim Ogonowski is making everyone's lives easier by waging a quixotic U.S. Senate run against John Kerry, rather than try again at the 5th District seat.

As a result, everyone is safe. Tsongas' only Republican challenger dropped out of the race, and Kerry is slaughtering Ogonowski, who can't raise enough to be a viable Senate candidate, in all polling so far. Kerry isn't even all that popular, considering how blue Massachusetts is, but the MA GOP is so pathetic that it's tough to imagine them waging a decent Senate challenge anytime soon. They haven't, since 1996.

by The Huffington Post News Team [courtesy of Politics on HuffingtonPost.com]

Disgraced New York Congressman Vito Fossella broke down in tears on the floor of the House of Representatives today, apparently under the emotional weight of...

by Julia [courtesy of Firedoglake]

Rep. Vito Fossella (R-NY) is probably nostalgic for last Thursday when the worst thing he and his campaign had to deal with was his arrest for driving very, very drunk. His life has gotten way more complicated since then.

by brownsox [courtesy of Daily Kos]

Embattled New York Congressman Vito Fossella (R)'s political career has gone up in smoke in just one short week.

It was bad enough when Fossella, the last remaining Republican Congressman from New York City, was arrested last week for DWI. "Vino" Fossella, as the New York Daily News has seen fit to dub him, blew a .17 into the Breathalyzer, twice the legal limit, and apparently had some trouble with his ABC's:

Mr. Fossella, who was driving a white Honda Civic, was stopped about 12:10 a.m. on Thursday, and told a police officer he had had two or three glasses of wine about two hours earlier. Mr. Fossella was asked to recite the alphabet between the letters D and T. "The subject immediately started and said ‘A, B,’ " the officer wrote in his report.

After the officer explained the test again, Mr. Fossella started: "D, E, F, H, G, H, I, J, L," and then was able to finish.

If found guilty of drunk driving, he faces a mandatory five days in jail, at the minimum. Frankly, that is now the least of his problems. Seems that the good Congressman, married with three kids, has a daughter from an extramarital affair. The mother of his daughter, Laura Fay, was the woman who provided bail for Fossella after his arrest, after Fossella had told the arresting officer that he was "picking up his daughter", and listed the street where Fay lived as his destination. After several days, Fossella has now publicly admitted the affair and his paternity:

"I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a three year old daughter," Fossella said in a statement.

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