Quote of the day: How many House GOP leaders does it take to get Bob Ney the heck out of the House? (A: Uh, we'll get back to you)

"We're not allowed to talk with you."
--"a young female staff member" in the House office of Ohio Rep. Bob "I'm Here, I'm Here, and There Ain't Nuttin' Youse Can Do About It" Ney, "clutching a stack of what appeared to be constituent mail," quoted by NYT reporter Philip Shenon

It appears that with the House of Representatives not in session, there's nothing "Decisive Denny" Hastert and His Merry Band of House GOP Leaders [note: we said "merry"--not, you know, the "g" word] can do about their dear undeparted colleague. But you just watch how fast they spring into action if that nogoodnik is still on the premises when they reconvene--uh, next month? next year? Whenever.

Meanwhile, Shenon's report includes this gem:

One of Mr. Ney's lawyers, William E. Lawler III, said in an interview that the lawmaker wanted to deal with the "odds and ends" of ending an 11-year career in Congress.

"There's a lot of mechanical stuff that needs to be done--storage, archiving," Mr. Lawler said.

In entering a guilty plea last week, Mr. Ney said in a statement that he would resign within a "few weeks" but wanted to remain in Congress for now "to make sure my staff members are O.K. and that any open constituent matters and obligations" are dealt with.

Mr. Lawler was critical of skeptics who question whether Mr. Ney, whose most recent disclosure forms suggest that his only major asset is a second home in Greece worth $100,000 to $250,000, is holding on in Congress mostly because he wants to cash his final paychecks.

"I don't know why people don't accept his explanation at face value," the lawyer said.

Which brings us to--


A NEW DWT EXCLUSIVE: DWT LAFF OF THE DAY
Today: You have to write your own punchline for this one
[Note: Cheap shots about "Freedom Fries" Bob's rug are not only admissible but welcome--always]

"I don't know why people don't accept his explanation at face value."
--William E. Lawler III, lawyer for Bob Ney, speaking of his client the admitted felon and abuser of his office

Gosh, Bill (may we call you Bill?), people don't believe the Bobster? That's sure hard to understand.