Tuesday Roundup: Gonzo's Resume Must Be Fantastic

The trust problems that those at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have created for themselves with their unique blend of incompetence and hubris do not seem to be going away. Worrying about whether the U.S. Attorney firings were linked to investigations of Republicans is no longer de rigueur — Gonzo's "no, I didn't" versus the Justice Department emails' "yes, he did" is old news. Now, all the hip journalists are talking about whether the prosecutors who were retained were asked to go after Democrats. Boy, Gonzo can't get a break. I bet he can't wait until he's fired — er, I mean, Bush accepts his resignation — and he can take his obligatory position at some private firm where he can finally screw people without Congressional oversight.

Speaking of old news, remember how Karl Rove got himself in hot water by giving presentations on Republican electoral strategy to ostensibly nonpartisan government agencies? Of course you do, you astute reader, you. Well, details are coming out about what the contents of the presentations were; in perhaps the most anticlimatic bit of news in this roundup, it's been revealed that the presentation points to Nick Lampson as the No. 1 targeted seat in the 2008 House races. I'm curious as to who they plan to run against him. I have the funny feeling Fort Bend is going to be host to an ugly, ugly House race. But I have to admit, it would make my year if Lampson handed them their you-know-whats in November.

If there's one thing Texas conservatives hate, it's big government, right? I guess they didn't realize that's what they were signing up for when they went all googley-eyed over the plan to build 125 miles of supposedly immigrant-proof border fencing. You see, fencing requires land to put the fencing on, and those who own the land are being threatened with eminent domain seizure if they don't cooperate with the government over giving up their land. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: Republicans are not a small-government party. They are anti-regulation, but that hasn't meant small government since the late 1800's. They're happy to use big government for big business interests. We use it to feed the poor, cure the sick, and provide a decent life for all Americans. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

Talk in Austin has it that the Texas Senate is a little more up on the U.S. Constitution than the House is. Apparently, the Senate State Affairs committee has "tweaked" HB 218 (which we've been covering) requiring ID at voting time to apply to all voters — which means taking out the amendment the House passed exempting those over 80. It's pretty clear somebody in the Senate realized that the exemption was a pretty clear violation of the Equal Protection Clause, and they didn't want that court fight on their hands. Kind of a shame, really — the more they patch the holes in that remarkably bad piece of legislature, the longer it will take to shoot it down. Which, I imagine, is the plan.

Finally today, for those of you looking for luxurious yet reasonably priced housing, and willing to travel a bit for it, we may have quite the bargain for you. The U.S. government has put 29 embassies in 21 different countries on sale. Prices range from a $1.5 million "fixer-upper," according to the article, in sunny Libya that needs "internal renovation" (I wonder why?), to a $180 million estate by Grosvernor Square in London. Though I should note that Josh has claimed that one already. Myself, I have dibs on the more reasonably priced one in Venezuela. Gives me a chance to hang out with the fam. And I bet the security's fantastic!