From the Washington Times profile of Tony Snow:

“The most pleasant surprise about this job has been how much fun it is.  I’ve never had a day when I’ve gone home and kicked the dog out of frustration. … I can’t think of another job that I would willingly wake up as early as I do.”

“Maybe we’re lucky he didn’t become president” — Sir Richard Branson on Al Gore at the end of their joint “Good Morning America” interview.  Branson was implying that Gore was better off using his time fighting “global warming” - but the “I have no plans to run” former Veep sure looked ticked off when Branson said it.

The sulphur has settled enough to realize that when Hugo Chavez calls President Bush the devil, it really means he’s as big a fan of the movie “Broadcast News” as the rest of us.

Albert Brooks as Aaron Altman:

I’ve never seen you like this about anyone, so please don’t take it wrong when I tell you that I believe that Tom, while a very nice guy, is the Devil.  What do you think the Devil is going to look like if he’s around?  Nobody is going to be taken in if he has a long, red, pointy tail.  No, I’m semi-serious here.  He will look attractive and he will be nice and helpful and he will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation and he will never do an evil thing…he will just bit by little bit lower standards where they are important.  Just coax along flash over substance… Just a tiny bit.  And he will talk about all of us really being salesmen.  And he’ll get all the great women.

Former NAACP chairman Kweisi Mfume, asked about the issue of George Allen’s Jewish heritage, on “Hardball” today: “When do you get beyond that and start talking about other issues?”

Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire reports this from Tuesday’s House Committee on Energy and Commerce hearing:

Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX): Down in Texas, we had a Democratic primary about 50 years ago that Lyndon Johnson won by 54 votes. And he got the nickname “Landslide Lyndon.” We have Mr. Wynn next. He had a little bit of a tussle last week, but he did win. And so, I want to recognize “Landslide Wynn” for any opening statement that he wishes…
Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD): Well, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. In fact, they’re still counting, but we’re quite optimistic. And I did take a couple pages out of Lyndon’s book, so if I win, it can be attributed to Texas know-how.
(LAUGHTER)
Barton: I hope not. I hope you win fair and square.
(LAUGHTER)
Wynn: A win is a win.

Indeed, in 1948 LBJ beat former Texas Gov. Coke Stevenson by 87 votes — the closest Senate race in history.  And the first one to prominently feature a helicopter.

You gotta admire The Forward newspaper’s chutzpah for beginning an editorial with these 11 words, “There’s not much left to say about Virginia Senator George Allen” — and then continuing for 242 more words saying things about macacawitz.  The editorial is hostile to Allen — of the shame! shame! shame! for answering a reporter’s question his own way variety —  but that’s predictable.  And quite boring at this point.  Perhaps they should have left it at the first 11 words — that would be ground-breaking.

WBAL Radio coverage of defeated Maryland Comptroller William Donald Schaefer:

“I won’t run for Mayor of Ocean City because I am done,” said Schaefer as he sat alongside Governor Ehrlich and Treasurer Kopp at the meeting.  “This is the dirtiest, stinking game I’ve ever known.”  He also said if he was going to lose in the primary, he’s glad Peter Franchot won and not Janet Owens.  “I’m glad the woman didn’t win,” said Schaefer.  “Because I was not fond of her.”

Voters longing for days when issues, not trivia, mattered in politics should check out HBO’s great documentary on Barry Goldwater, “Mr. Conservative.”

The show includes a fascinating discussion of how Goldwater really wanted to campaign against John F. Kennedy in 1964 — not out of viciousness but of admiration.  There was talk of the two of them touring the country by plane, touching down in various cities to hold debates.  That would never happen today, but in the early 1960s, when the foreign and domestic policy stakes were equally high, it could have been pulled off.  Of course, plans changed on Nov. 22, 1963 — and Goldwater lost enthusiasm for the 1964 campaign after the JFK killing.  In fact, for years after that Goldwater repeated how he didn’t want the ’64 GOP nomination.

Today’s Washington Post:

Fossil hunters have unearthed the skeleton of a young girl who died 3.3 million years ago, marking the first time scientists have discovered the nearly complete remains of a child of an ancient human ancestor. …”Before this, you didn’t know if it was like you might have the arm of a Danny DeVito and the leg of a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.”

Clearly, Devito got the genes…

You’d think a creepy dictator named Hugo would tell the best jokes in the hall.

Alas, even thugs have their off days — even when playing the United Nations.  This Hugo Chavez attempt at a knee-slapper makes absolutely no sense:

I think we could call a psychiatrist to analyze yesterday’s statement made by the president of the United States. As the spokesman of imperialism, he came to share his nostrums, to try to preserve the current pattern of domination, exploitation and pillage of the peoples of the world.  An Alfred Hitchcock movie could use it as a scenario. I would even propose a title: “The Devil’s Recipe.”

Wow.  Anyone see that zinger coming up 5th Avenue?

OK, let me try a joke, Hugo Chavez-style: I just flew in from Venezuela and boy are my arms tired from the colonialism.

Killer material, eh?