… was Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi doing an impression of the skinny ’50s Elvis or the fat ‘70 Elvis.

… rush for a change of atmosphere.

Couldn’t help but think of those magnificient Big Audio Dynamite lyrics when reading FishbowlDC’s reporting that Tucker Carlson’s “The Situation” will soon go head-to-head with Wolf Blitzer’s “The Situation Room.”

And the rest of the “Rush” lyrics? “I can’t go on so I give in, gotta get myself right outta here.”

Never heard of Interstate 403?  It’s actually not a highway, but a great piece of political trivia.

America’s Eisenhower Interstate Highway System touches 403 of the 435 congressional districts.  Now that’s one way to assure funding!

(our crack lab coat-wearing Extreme Mortman trivia staff found that fabulous chestnut here.)

Shhhh … don’t show this to Hugh Hewitt, you’ll just make him madder.

As you know, the House yesterday voted to condemn the news media’s disclosure of a secret program that monitors international bank transactions.

The bill, H. Res 895, angered Hugh Hewitt:

its language is the language of indecision and purposelessness. It doesn’t name the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, so it isn’t directed at them. It is a half-measure in a time when Americans in the military are asked to give their full measure. I don’t think I could vote for it.

So, next step: Was the New York Times named during yesterday’s House floor debate?  According to the Congressonal Record, only by these precious few:

Rep. Poe:   ”In 1950, a law was passed making releasing such classified information a crime. If the New York Times has violated this law by becoming the Benedict Arnold press, they need to be held accountable. Not even a journalist from the Times has the right to violate the law just to get a byline.”

Rep. Price of Georgia: “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in frustration over the recent leak by the New York Times of a vital national security program. In a time of global war, this leak is a disgrace to all Americans and especially a disgrace to those risking their lives every day to keep us safe.”

Rep. Blackburn: “The New York Times, you know, the actions of that storied paper certainly are the subject of much discussion. Mr. Speaker, it is a sad discussion, because it is a discussion about those who chose to leak information and those who chose to print that leaked information that is harmful to this great Nation’s security.”

And in the other chamber, Sen. Bond: “Well, the New York Times has decided that its right to publish takes precedence over America’s right to have intelligence collection methods that are not disclosed to the people of the United States and, thus, to the terrorists we attempt to track.”

The Hill’s Jeff Dufour has former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Richard Myers recalling this moment with Chicago Bears great Gayle Sayers, who was on a USO tour in Vietnam …

  … as their plane was catapulted off an aircraft carrier in rough seas.

Sayers, clearly nervous about the whole thing, looked to Myers for reassurance, which he gave despite his own nerves. “Not that I knew it was OK,” Myers explained. “I just didn’t want him to die all tensed up.”

Today is the 50th anniversary of the federal act that began the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

Great photos on the commemorative website.  I swear the other day I got caught behind this guy still on the Beltway:

First, the answer to last week’s Extreme Trivia question.  CBS is making a donation to Dan Rather’s Texas alma mater, Sam Houston State University.  According to Rather, the school was once known by what different name.

The answer: Sam Houston Institute of Teaching.

Now, the next Extreme Trivia question:  President Bush is angry with the New York Times: “There can be no excuse for anyone entrusted with vital intelligence to leak it and no excuse for any newspaper to print it.”

In which movie did the below character (the guy in the hat) say: “Our source was the New York Times.”

I hate Ken Rudin for coming up with a soccer line funnier than mine.

From his “Political Junkie” column:

The World Cup seems to be the only thing people care about lately; for all I know, these people could become the latest voting bloc. I know that’s already the case in Japan; there, they are called Osaka Moms.

That jokes makes it a soccer-style blow out, 1-0.

Another food & politics report from Extreme Mortman culinary correspondent Vic Matus, known in other sophisticated literary circles as Weekly Standard assistant managing editor and blogger for Galley Slaves:

Last week, the Absolut Spirits Company and the National Distributing Company debuted, respectively, its latest line of vodka, Absolut Ruby Red, and a redesigned bottle for Plymouth gin. And as can be expected at such an outing, it was done with the sort of hipness normally seen in New York or Los Angeles, but is rare for a town like Washington. For instance, walking into the Terrell Building across from the Verizon Center, the first thing you notice is the lifelike Greek statue in the center of the hall. But upon closer inspection, you realize this is no statue. It’s a real man–the kind you see on the boardwalk, in which he will only move if you drop money in his hat. (So, you see, it does pay off.)
 
The main room was swarming with restaurateurs who must make the crucial decision of adding Ruby Red to their inventories. (I would–and I didn’t even get a free bottle. Yet.) A spokesmodel (who looked an awful lot like Molly Sims) offered me a Summer Collins, which, it turns out, did not have vodka but Plymouth gin. It was a definite refresher on this humid and rain-soaked evening. (But I couldn’t help think of my freshman year in college, when I would try to order sophisticate cocktails and pass myself off as a 21-year-old. “I’ll have … a Tom Collins!” I would tell the bartender confidently. Despite moving on to such drinks as Scotch on the rocks and vodka-soda, my friends never fail to remind me of my manly past.) Props also go out to the caterers, who provided such hearty hors d’oeuvres as empanadas, crabcakes, and Beef Wellington.
 
As the rain subsided, we made our way to the tented rooftop and, thanks to $150 in fake cash, played our way through the Monte Carlo-themed casino. It figures that when it doesn’t count, the shooter at the craps table goes 30 minutes without hitting a 7. I must have walked away up $300. In between I did enjoy my favorite concoction of the night, Absolut and cranberry (and possibly tonic). “Funny,” I noted to the spokesmodel, “I thought Absolut Ruby Red would be more, well, red.” “Have you ever seen a real ruby red grapefruit?” she replied. “It’s not really red either.” Huh.
 
While the weather was stiflingly hot, the guests did not seem to mind, what with the even hotter tables (blackjack excluded), the “waitress” giving away free cigars, and a crowd that now included my good friend, Redskins runningback Clinton Portis. Before I left, I chatted away with my man Clinton*, who seemed to have a better time playing cards than I did. He was dressed modestly and wore tinted sunglasses (yes, when you are Clinton Portis, the sun shines on you 24 hours a day). He’s not a tall fellow but very stacked. Still, I think I can outrun him.
 
*Actual conversation with Clinton Portis:
 
Matus: (Shakes his hand.) I just want to say I’m a big fan and good luck next season.
 
Portis: Thanks a lot, man. I appreciate it.

Did you catch the farewell best-of video montage for Charlie Gibson’s departure from “Good Morning America”?  A valiant effort to establish Gibson’s hard-news credentials for evening news anchoring.  The montage showed him interviewing what seemed like every world leader except Mahatma Gandhi and every U.S. president going back to Grover Cleveland.