We’re now in that annual Christmas season ritual known as presidential pardons (think Cap Weinberger, Marc Rich, Peter Yarrow — who’s now, apparently, on the straight and yarrow).

Which leads us to Jessica Simpson. Looks like her “Kennedy Center Honors” performance earned its own pardon, er Parton.

…. But even more, thank you Prince George’s County, MD, Executive Jack Johnson.  Couldn’t have done it without you.  Now, would you just explain which seat is in the middle in a row of four?  I grew up in Prince George’s County public schools. I must have missed that math lesson.

The Washington Post reports on Nancy Pelosi’s four-day mostly-exclusive coronation ceremony, chock full of special interest group activities which “are being funded by Pelosi’s campaign chest.”

On C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” this morning, Public Citizen president Joan Claybrook rebuked Pelosi for all that money sloshing around.  Claybrook: “We think its really important not to have those kinds of events.”

But my favorite part of the Post story is this:

Pelosi is grabbing the moment to present herself as the new face.

New face?  Perhaps a veiled reference to Pelosi’s rumored facial work?

Let’s reference this fun round-up at Toby Harnden’s Telegraph blog:

Ellen Goodman of the Boston Globe has complained about “catty cable hosts saying that Pelosi had a face-lift.” Back in May, the political gossip site wonkette ran a poll on whether Pelosi had been under the knife. Two years ago, several bloggers were onto this issue. Sissy Willis posted this picture of Pelosi looking like the man in Munch’s The Scream.

Ann Althouse asked: “How can a person who needs to be a good communicator subvert the expressive power of her own face?”. Fraterslibertas ventured: “With those eyes she looked like an freakin’ barn owl.”

Pelosi herself told the New York Times in May: “I hear them say on TV that I’ve had face-lifts.” She then added that she had never had one. A Republican friend pointed out that this left wiggle room for other kinds of cosmetic work. No doubt there will be a follow-up question soon.

All of which reminds me of one of Johnny Carson’s best-ever jokes.  Hosting the 1979 Academy Awards, Carson looked out at the Hollywood crowd and said, “I see a lot of new faces.  Especially on the old faces.”

First, the answer to last week’s question.  Name the last time the wife of a U.S. Senator who died in office was appointed to temporarily fill his seat.

A vigourous debate broke out over this one.  Lee Annis and the cleverly-disguised mystery name “Reter Poff” offered wonderful attempts at answers.  Too bad none was right.  The correct answer:  North Dakota’s Jocelyn Burdin was appointed as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate on September 12, 1992, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of her husband, Quentin.  She took the oath of office on September 16, 1992, and served until December 14, 1992, a successor having been chosen in a special election.

Now, the next Extreme Trivia question.  Name every U.S. Senator, alive or dead, born in Hawaii.

We learn in the Washington Post’s Mitt Romney profile today that as a registered independent, Romney voted for Paul Tsongas in the 1992 Democratic presidential primary.

Of course, you know how Massachusetts pols tend to stick together.  Just ask these other Tsongas boosters (Tsongas on your right):

If nothing else, that photo is a reminder of how many white guys from Massachusetts have wanted to be our president.

And it gives us a chance to remember the late Paul Tsongas, who once filmed an ad while wearing a speedo bathing suit, and had these wonderful things to say during his presidential campaign:

“If you think if it’s tough to take on a President with a 90% rating, try being 50 years old and having your picture taken in a Speedo bathing suit. Now, that’s courage.”

and

“Breastroke is an athletic event, butterfly is a political statement.”

Great TV watching on C-SPAN yesterday was accompanied this great item in the Wall Street Journal’s Washington Wire:

Was there any chance a hearing today on the television networks’ challenge to the Federal Communications Commission’s indecency rules wouldn’t be pretty entertaining? How often does noted Supreme Court specialist Carter Phillips get to drop the f-bomb (and worse) in open court?

C-SPAN talked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York into allowing cameras in the court so the hearing could be broadcast live. But ever since that decision was made, media lawyers have been tittering about whether C-SPAN was opening itself up to its own indecency problem, since its broadcasts are also carried simultaneously on C-SPAN radio. The FCC can’t do anything about expletives being used on cable shows, but it regularly fines radio stations for airing that sort of language.

Sure enough, the s-words and f-words were flying this morning during the hearing, which C-SPAN broadcast in full, without bleeps. During the hearing, to make a point, Phillips used the words and phrases “motherf—–,” “eat s—” and “f— the USA.”

C-SPAN spokeswoman Jennifer Moire said the cable network’s executives considered the hearing was in the public interest. “Our judgment is that it would survive any test. We think the FCC would view it in context,” she said.

Fortunately for C-SPAN, the FCC seems to agree. During the hearing, Judge Peter Hall brought up the very issue of whether the FCC might fine stations for airing the dirty language used in the hearing. “The commission has emphasized it will use great restraint” and would not fine stations for airing the hearing as part of a news program, responded Eric Miller, a media attorney representing the FCC.

I watched the hearing.  Although it was refreshing to hear the F-bomb uttered on the C-bomb, was likewise reassured by judges and lawyers repeatedly saying ”titilating, “cockamamie,” ”first blow” and “sexual or excretory activity or organs.”  Indeed, double your entendre, double your fun.

Giggle for yourself Saturday 7 p.m. when C-SPAN rebroadcasts the hearing – in all its “fleeting expletive” glory.

By the way, what prompted this case?  Cher’s appearance at the 2002 Billboard awards.  Transcript courtesy Everything Cher:

“I have also had critics for the last 40 years, saying that I was on my way out every year. Right! So F them. I still have a job and they don’t. So, I have 2 things to say. I was watching Martin Lawrence the other day and he said something about life. And he said, ‘You gotta ride it until the wheels fall off’. And I think that is about the most important thing I have heard lately.”

While Keith Olbermann’s “Special Comments” continue to lose, well, their specialness — talk about reaching for the bottom of the barrel, I think tonight Keith might be attacking Dirk Kempthorne — another person’s rantings are getting far more play and attention: Rosie O’Donnell.  Her latest target on “The View”: Donald Trump, who responded on “Entertainment Tonight,” “Rosie O’Donnell is disgusting, I mean, both inside and out.”

What a great new catch phrase for “The Apprentice”: “Rosie — you’re gross.”

Love the Washington Post’s description of Sandy Berger’s trailer park antics at the National Archives as “ham-handed and comical.”

Animal House, anyone?

Hoover: We’re in trouble. I just checked with the guys at the Jewish house and they said that every one of our answers on the Psych test was wrong.
Boon: Every one?
[looks at Bluto and D-Day]
Boon: Those assholes must have stolen the wrong f—ing exam!

The British blog EU Referendum shows this picture of French armoured vehicles in Kabul today, escorting a convoy.

The vehicles, EU Referendum points out, are are the Véhicule de l’Avant Blindé or VAB (”Armoured Vanguard Vehicle”) an armoured personnel carrier manufactured by the Euro Mobilité Division of GIAT Industries of France.

EU Referendum makes this point:

The odd thing is that, the VAB actually entered service in 1976. Around 5000 were produced and, as the photograph shows, it is still doing good service. It is not ideal, not modern, but it does a much better job than any armoured [British] Land Rover can do. … We seem to be going backward.

D.C. Council Member Marion Barry, on being detained for nearly three hours Saturday by the U.S. Park Police after he was pulled over for driving too slowly:

“I think I’m targeted.  In all my driving, I’ve not seen another green Camaro,” the vehicle he was driving Saturday and when he was arrested in September.

Great defense.  Damn green camaro set him up.