From the Washington Post:

The House overwhelmingly rejected George W. Bush’s veto Wednesday of a $290 billion farm bill, but what should have been a stinging defeat for the president became an embarrassing episode for Democrats.

See, when you’re a Congressman, sometimes it’s hard to keep nagging details like legislation straight amidst your tight schedule of grandstanding and blowhardery. So occasionally you’ll send a bill to the President with, oh, 30-some odd pages missing (I don’t know which is worse - that nobody noticed an entire section missing, or that a “Farm Bill” can even be 34 pages short). But don’t fret, they’ll just pass the billions of dollars of obnoxiously unnecessary legislation again. And with the same overwhelming majorities, to be sure.

“We will have to repass the whole thing, as will the Senate,” said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. “We can’t let the farm bill just die.”

Collective sigh of relief. Wait, maybe “collective” is the wrong word to use here.

The newest version of espn.com’s college football preseason poll is out, and the Bucks are back on top.  I’m not too sure how I feel about this development.  I suppose it is something that the Buckeyes likely deserve due to returning talent, history of winning seasons, etc…  One thing that I don’t want to hear about all season is how Ohio State is overrated, can’t beat SEC teams, blah blah blah.  Ohio State is primed to be the first team in the Big Ten’s rich history to win the Big Ten title three years in a row.  It should be a fun and interesting season, we’ll see how it all turns out.

Not often have I watched an episode of a TV show that was advertised as “Don’t miss!” “You’ve got to see it to believe it!!!” and all the rest without being disappointed. But, once again The Office doesn’t disappoint! Let’s keep the spoilers vague for the poor fools who missed tonight’s episode for whatever reason…

Michael was more tolerable than he’s been since the Jan & Michael meltdown episode. Still, I’m not ready for the character to be happy all of a sudden - he’s been way too awful a person for the last three or four episodes. As for the season-ending surprises, they were funny, moved along a couple of plot lines, and didn’t leave terribly annoying cliffhangers. Kevin in particular was hilarious, and the new HR rep looks to be an enjoyable addition to the show.

That said, before the strike cut things short I was hoping this season would be the last. I hope that whatever the writers have in mind for season five lives up to what they’ve done so far, ties things together nicely, and then brings the series to a close. I don’t want the usual tired on again/off again muck in the Pam and Jim storyline, I don’t want to watch current characters get stale or less-interesting new ones filter in like clockwork, and I’d really rather they not milk this cash cow. I’m crazy, I know.

Senators hate pork and wasteful spending, until it’s time to vote against:

The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to approve a five-year, $307 billion farm bill, sending it to President Bush for what is expected to be his futile veto.

The 81-to-15 Senate vote, like the 318-to-106 House vote on Wednesday, attracted broad bipartisan support and received far more than the two-thirds that would be needed to override Mr. Bush’s veto, should he keep his pledge to wield his pen.

Mr. Bush has said he wants to sharply limit government subsidies to farmers at a time of near-record commodity prices and soaring global demand for grain. Most legislators were not swayed by Mr. Bush’s description of the bill as bloated, expensive and packed with “a variety of gimmicks.”

Look forward to more of this “compromise” legislation in 2009 and beyond, as Republican congressmen continue pandering like Democrats and losing elections as a result.

One of the losingest losers in the recent history of national Democratic politics will be endorsing Barack Obama, according to the Los Angeles Times and CNN. From LA Times blog entry “Confirmed: John Edwards to endorse Barack Obama tonight“:

It’s perfect, and not accidental timing, for the freshman senator as it will shift the political conversation away from Sen. Hillary Clinton’s lopsided victory in West Virginia Tuesday.

It’s also perfect timing for the LA Times, CNN, et al, who might otherwise be struggling to downplay the fact that Hillary smoked Obama in West Virginia in almost every demographic category. Ah, who am I kidding, they’ve got their Commentary writers to take care of that:

Over the decades, black Americans have had plenty of opportunities to vote for white people for president. And they have done so. But this is the first time that white Americans have a chance to vote for an African-American with a shot at the presidency. And what are they doing?

Many are responding quite well. Obama won the votes of many, to borrow a phrase, “hardworking white Americans,” in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming. But, elsewhere, as Obama said in a recent interview, people may need to get their head around the concept of an African-American even seeking the presidency, let alone winning it.

If you didn’t know that anyone who’s not voting for Barack Obama is not “responding quite well,” consider yourself informed… and a racist. Also keep in mind that it’s never too late to jump on the winning bandwagon - take it from George McGovern.

Who knew that, at this very moment, the state of Idaho is in danger of being devoured by a titanic Peregrine Falcon? It’s amazing the things you learn thanks to the 50 State Quarters program.

For instance, Esto Perpetua is Latin for “Gah! It’s back!!”

Marc Dann’s a bigger slimeball than we realized - shocker.

Ohio’s current Attorney General was one of the loudest voices in 2006 when it was time for Change, and A New Direction, and all the same old bunk. Taft and many of his fellow elected Republicans gave him an easy case to make. But, in well under two years Dann’s proven better than the state GOP ever could that neither party’s leaders are brimming with competence.

The Democrat, who promised to end the “culture of corruption” in state government during his 2006 campaign, essentially acknowledged he wasn’t qualified for the office. But after “on-the-job training” he now wants Ohioans to give him a second chance.

Dann said he took “full responsibility” for the actions of his underlings.

“Full responsibility,” meaning the sort where his underlings lose their jobs, not the type were he’s going to sacrifice his own. Let’s not be rash.

The situation is annoying, because what difference will it make in the 2008 elections here? None. The Republican party will rail on about hypocrisy with the same self-righteous bluster of the Democrats in 2006, but without accompaniment from most metro areas’ papers and TV stations. Offenses and mistakes that are signs of deep, dark corruption in (R) politicians are lamentable distractions when there’s a (D) next to your name.

It’s fun at least for addicts of Ohio politics and tabloid news: Our very own Eliot Spitzer scandal, appropriately scaled back and boring.

[Update 05-21-2008: Mispelled "hypocrisy" a couple paragraphs up. Tsk-tsk.]