That price tag is at least 2X the value of my home… I guess I got into the wrong business.

;~P

Is there any way to make Kempthorne pay for any of this? It’s totally unsanitary and I would think against some sort of building codes to have food in a bathroom in what is essentially a public building.

PW, actually, both KO and Rachel talked about this boondoggle last night as well. How does one get stuff like this approved? Oh right…they just do it and worry about that later.

one can work up a sweat doing it in Washington’s legendary summers. But a refrigerator and freezer? In a bathroom?! What the hell was Kempthorne doing in there?

so many kinky habits, so many bodies, so little time…

This makes a lot of sense. Evidently the GOPers think it’s teh Department of Interior Design.

Bet he kept nothing but the finest wines in the frig.

as if anyone was doing any kind of oversight . . . nothing to see here, move along.

I believe Kempthorne was Governor of Idaho.

What is it with Idaho politicians and restrooms?

And to think that we thought it was over the top when we first stayed at a hotel with a TV and phone in the bathroom. Kempthorne should should be prosecuted for abusing the Public Trust or whatever. I’m sure he is guilty of something, that simply can’t be legal! Where are all of the legal eagles when we need them? Apparently they’re like cops…

Truth is that conservatives do not hate the public good. They simply do not believe in it. For them there is only personal private good. They honestly (well, as honestly as they are capable of) believe that Democrats behave exactly the same way they do when in power. That is, they spend federal money to benefit and enrich themselves and their friends and supporters. They are incapable of comprehending the idea that there things which benefit all of us individually and collectively.

I’m afraid that it is the sad result of childhood potato abuse.

great catch. great material to take as far as possible.

UPDATE!

Rachel said tonight that the Department of the Interior took pains to get back to her show today, not to dispute any of the details reported in Washington Post story EXCEPT the part about the monogrammed towels.

So, there’s that.

Make sure to put a potato in your shoe before throwing it at the plutocrats.

-G

EXCEPT the part about the monogrammed towels

That’s rich.

Maybe he had plans to have Larry Craig stop by for a cold one?

-G

Like all those sweaty tourists Reid wants to avoid…..

Probably needs a cold one at hand after woking up sweats with the ladies.

Dang! Those disappeared fast, didn’t they.

With Jack Anderson gone Rachel can pick up the torch as the successor to I F Stone.

Or a stiff one.

These are Republicans, Matt. I was thinking more along the line of they need a cold lady in the freezer while they work up a sweat with their hand.

Spud missile.

Oh, please — like Kempthorne (or Salazar for that matter) are going to bike-commute.

Not sure I disagree with that assessment of Democrats. The key difference is that when it comes to corruption and abuse of power, Republicans are in the Major League and Dems are always stuck in the Minor League.

The illegal Guatemalan contract housekeeping ladies bagged ‘em.

Digg this post, please

I hope Salazar’s hat has a chin-strap. Or maybe a string with a bead on it like the one I wore when I was three.

What can one say about this boondogle. The Repubs strike again. Their mantra has always been “personal responibility”. Has anyone talked to Mitch McConnell about this? Can he explain spending the taxpayers money on such, if you’ll excuse the pun, crap?

But a refrigerator and freezer?

May I remind you that just like Representative William J. Jefferson, all good government crooks need freezers for keeping all that hot loot cold.

There certainly is some of that among Dems, but, as you observe, they are sub-junior minor A-leagues compared to the Rethug pro-leagues. Dems also do generally try to do some things that qualify as public good.

During an election cycle anyway…

All of the Porta-Potties (TM) are gonna have a little plaque glued above the tp roll:

Free pictures of President George W Bush.
Wipe to develop.

At the inauguration. Forgot that part.

He has a lot darker complexion than I expected.

Looks like it’s time to climb into my tree.

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things.

Namaste

ROFLMAO

I assume it was really an appliqué of the department seal and not a monogram. Maybe someone on Rachel’s staff could check.

Seems fitting. If I were the architect designing Bush’s library, I’d make certain that from the air it looks like a skid-mark.

Have a good one. Tuck the tigers in nice and snug.

Sleep well, SD.

Did you see were Laura Bush was kind enough to spend $485,000on new china for the White House? I am sure the Obamas will appreciate that, all those Bush reminders.

serious questions:

how do the leaders of the democratic party feel about the public good?

what do they think is the public good?

This is the same Dirk Kempthorne who was once again blackening Boise Idaho with his presence – giving a speech at a City Club Event where it was reported that he reported he prattled on about his vaunted Ethics Reforms at Interior … The Republicans seem to want to keep Pretty Boy Dirk untarnished by his association with Bush Interior – so he can ooze into future office and appointments. Would be interested in knowing how many Mirrors are in that bathroom.

The local Faux news station actually summed up Interior ethics pretty well: http://www.fox12news.com/Globa…..enu439_2_9 Evidently the ethics Reform didn’t include limiting the Secretary from telling fibs, as the DOI Website that crows about parts of the Bush INterior legacy lies about the Bush admin. being responsible for a large National Monument in Kempthorne’s politial homeland, Idaho that was actually designated by Bill Clinton. Monument of Craters of the Moon. Only a name change and less protection occurred under Bush.

No wonder it was so expensive, every piece is emblazoned with an image of Scooby-Doo.

Oh, and I’d always assumed that what Atwater said was the case. Standing over here next to Kanyé it’s kind of hard to miss.

A latrine worth that cost more than most people’s houses. Anyone else think this is actually kind of a fitting end to the shrub kleptocracy? It’s a little literal, but kind of captures the spirit of the moment, I think.

$485,000on new china for the White House

and $750,000 on white-out to remove the “O’s” from all US Government computer keyboards, eh…?

People criticized the Clinton library saying it looks like a giant mobile home. Perhaps the Bush library should look like a giant Porta-Potty™.

Heh!

Yup.

Here we go…

George W. Bush Presidential Library

This is the same Dirk Kempthorne who was once again blackening Boise Idaho with his presence – giving a speech at a City Club Event where it was reported that he reported he prattled on about his vaunted Ethics Reforms at Interior … The Republicans seem to want to keep Pretty Boy Dirk untarnished by his association with Bush Interior – so he can ooze into future office and appointments. Would be interested in knowing how many Mirrors are in that bathroom.

The local Faux news station actually summed up Interior ethics pretty well: http://www.fox12news.com/Globa…..enu439_2_9 Evidently the ethics Reform didn’t include limiting the Secretary from telling fibs, as the DOI Website that crows about parts of the Bush INterior legacy lies about the Bush admin. being responsible for a large National Monument in Kempthorne’s politial homeland, Idaho that was actually designated by Bill Clinton. Monument of Craters of the Moon. Only a name change and less protection occurred under Bush.

I remember that one. It’s right up there with Bush’s habit of getting his picture taken with school kids right before he cuts their funding.

A while ago, a magazine, I can’t remember which one, sponsored a competition for “back of the envelope” designs for the shrub library and “Freedom Institute”.. one of the winning entries was a White House-like Potemkin facade with a bottomless pit behind it.

The saddest thing is that the Bush administration has already removed the “zeroes” and decimal points from government accounting computers.

The monogrammed towels would be the cheapest part of the whole affair.

So they’re copping to the fridge and freezer, but draw the line at monogrammed towels?

Remember, Work Makes One FREE!

From the very beginning, Patek Philippe timepieces have elicited spontaneous and enthusiastic acclaim among connoisseurs. Does Sarah Palin, good ol’ girl still own one?

if they had their way, they’d steal the computers lest someone figures out how to unerase all their misdeeds stored on ‘em

At some point amidst the repeated raiding of the Treasury, accounting became somewhat superfluous.

The Bush administration is so incompetent and crooked, that on Jan 20th, everything that isn’t seized up will be seized.

that’s it! they must’ve invested the Federal budget with Madoff!

Dunno what Harry Reid, a guy stuck in a red state whose job is always precarious, thinks, but here’s what Obama seems to think (per MSNBC):

Obama says stimulus proposal could grow

President-elect Barack Obama confirmed to CNBC Thursday that he plans to lay out a roughly $775 billion economic stimulus plan but indicated that the amount could grow once it gets taken up by Congress.

“We’ve seen ranges from $800 (billion) to $1.3 trillion,” he said in an exclusive interview with CNBC’s chief Washington correspondent John Harwood. “And our attitude was that given the legislative process, if we start towards the low end of that, we’ll see how it develops.”

And there’s this, from that same interview:

Harwood: Tomorrow you’re going to give a speech and talk about your economic stimulus package.

Obama: Right.

Harwood: It looks like it’s going to be at the high end of your range, around $775 billion.

Obama: That’s correct.

Harwood: If it’s correct that, as your aides have said, the danger is doing too little rather than doing too much …

Obama: Right.

Harwood: … why stop at $775 billion? Why not go to the $1.2 trillion that some economists have recommended? Is that because you think that the political figure of a trillion dollars is too politically charged to get over? Is it because you think more spending would be pork rather than stimulus? Or do you think you’ve figured out exactly the right amount of stimulus that’s needed?

Obama: Well, first of all I think it’s important to note that every economist, conservative or liberal, at this point agrees that we have to have a substantial recovery plan that helps to jump-start the economy, that short-term it’s going to be expensive, but it would be much more expensive to see the economy continue in the tailspin that it’s been going in. We’ve seen ranges from $800 to $1.3 trillion and our attitude was that given the legislative process, if we start towards the low end of that, we’ll see how it develops. We are concerned …

Harwood: It’s going to get bigger.

Obama: Well, we don’t know yet. But what we are concerned about is making sure that the money is spent wisely, that there’s oversight, that there’s transparency. We are going to use this money to temporarily boost the economy, to create or save three million jobs, but also to put some down payments on things that we should’ve been doing over the last several decades that can help create a more competitive U.S. economy. Examples: making sure that we are doubling alternative energy, and creating much more efficiency in our buildings and in our transportation systems, making sure that we are reducing the cost of health care using health information technologies, building up world class schools so that our children are benefiting and can compete in the global economy. So what we want to do is make sure that any money we’re spending is, number one, creating jobs, stabilizing the economy, but also is being used prudently so that when we come out of the current stretch that we’re in, we’re going to see a stronger economy, a better economy, a more efficient economy.

Even if I believed that it was absolutely necessary, if I was planning to spend that much money I’d never be able to sleep again.

Actually, she doesn’t, as far as we know — the Patek Philippe watch was part of Vanity Fair’s dream shopping spree; and even with blowing an imaginary $22,000 on a Patek Philippe, they still only managed to “spend” around fifty grand. Then again, she was shopping not just for herself, but for her whole family, including Levi the not-exactly-son-in-law.

Heh heh heh!

teddy upstairs

Oh, friends, Rachel is supposed to be on the Daily Show tonight

tax cuts and entitlement reform?

not a winner for the pov of the cheap seats.

Thanks for the heads-up!

reducing the cost of health care using health information technologies

Da Computers are gonna save bazillions! No need for Single Payer when you’ve got computers all talking to each other! Insurance companies and big pharma win. Its a win win.

it’s a win win win – cuz with all our personal health data zooming back and forth, the nsa computers will have a much easier time scooping it all up! yeah team!

Uh I would like to double check the invoice I think this is an attempt to funnel money to a GOP pol before the gravy train runs out.
Didn’t Laura just buy some expensive china too? Curious not that she won’t be having to many formal parties now.?