ROLLING STONE PRESENTS A CONUNDRUM: WHO IS MORE CORRUPT-- DREIER, BLUNT, BONER, SHADEGG... OR GINGRICH ?

ROLLING STONE'S Mike Taibbi is one of the best political writers around. This week's issue has a story he wrote called "The Harder They Fall" which will introduce rock music fans to a revolting cast of characters they've probably never come across before: the serial malefactors desperately trying to hold together indicted former Capo de Tutti Capi Tom DeLay's Crime Empire. The extremely unflattering description of closeted gay Republican David Dreier is probably the best news Russ Warner, Democrat challenger in the suburban L.A. district, has had all week. And Dreier comes off well compared to the 3 craven monstrosities vying to replace DeLay. "Of the two leading candidates for the recently vacated House majority leader seat, one (acting leader Roy Blunt) had attempted to slip tobacco-friendly language into a Homeland Security authorization bill while having an extramarital affair with a Phillip Morris lobbyist, while the other (John Boehner) had once been caught handing out checks from tobacco interests to members of Congress on the floor of the House." And the third contestant, extreme right wing maniac John Shadegg, "another Gingrich protege, who kicked off his campaign by bragging on national television that his 'level of taint' was, if not entirely absent, at least 'decidedly lower' than that of his opponents. A late entry into the race, Shadegg menacingly represents the prayer-and-belt-tightening future of the Republican Party, should Abramoff sink the Rove-DeLay-Hastert-Norquist rampaging corporate-money machine that took over the party in 1999." It's a wonderful apocalyptic article; I heartily recommend it.


SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE: STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO'S LEAST LIKELY TO WIND UP IN PRISON

It's getting a lot dirtier.