Thanks to The Volokh Conspiracy for noticing our ruminations about the legality of foreign national Elton John helping raise money for Hillary Clinton by performing at a benefit.

Volokh does a good job of exploring the matter in-depth.  The post also links to this Clinton press release:

FEC Spokesman Confirms There Was Nothing Unlawful About Elton John Performance

3/27/2008 11:43:45 AM

Recent news reports mistakenly suggest Hillary broke the law by allowing Elton John, a foreign national, to perform for her campaign.

Hillary’s campaign has complied with the law. Since 1987, the FEC has consistently held that foreign nationals may volunteer their time for campaigns on an uncompensated basis. Elton John is simply volunteering his uncompensated time to appear at the concert. This appearance is consistent with past FEC rulings.

Bob Biersack, FEC Spokesman confirmed that there was nothing unlawful about the Elton John performance:

“I did not intend to convey in my conversation with the Washington Times reporter that there is anything unlawful about Elton John performing in a concert to raise money for a US presidential candidate. The Advisory Opinion 2004-26 is clear in the circumstances of the request that foreign nationals may volunteer and may even solicit contributions from non-foreign nationals, provided they are not soliciting other foreign nationals.”

And the response to that?  We go back to  Extreme Mortman senior historian Richard Andrews, who observes:

If the FEC is determined to sit on its hands about this, don’t see much that can be done.

However, note that the ‘No’ decision in Opinion 1981-51 was specifically about the highly valuable services of an artist being used for fund raising, while ALL the other ‘Yes’ Opinions noted are about the everyday acceptance of essentially de minimus value munchkin services at the very bottom of a campaign - the ones that, if you had to pay even minimum wage for them, you would just do without (the same attitude that causes campaigns to pretend their employees are ‘contractors’, to avoid paying unemployment compensation tax) - envelope licking, driving folks around, etc.

The FEC seems rather determinedly of two minds about this - it is bizarre for Opinion 1987-25 to have expressly stated that it was NOT over-ruling Opinion 1981-51, when they flatly contradict one another.  Guess they just want to make it up as they go along.

To be continued, no doubt.

Fishbowl shows us an Eyeblast TV video from a sneak preview the Newseum gave bloggers of its new building, opening April 11.

Extreme Mortman was proud to be there — along with fellow bloggers and over 70 tons of the most beautiful — even sexy – Tennessee marble we’ve ever seen.  The marble lines the building’s Pennsylvania Avenue entrance.  It’s the same marble used in the building across the street, the National Gallery Of Art.  The Newseum used a computer to etch into the marble the words of the First Amendment.  Quite cool.  Still, the marble itself is immensely impressive — yes, attractive.  Love Tennessee marble.  When no one’s looking, slowly rub your fingers over the smooth inviting stone and you’ll quickly discover that you’ve …. oh, sorry.  Didn’t realize you were reading that.

In any event, the Eyeblast video captures a great moment: event organizer Robert Cox of the Media Bloggers Association standing in front of a display titled “Sex!  Crime!  Scandal!”

Indeed.  A particularly robust display is the one focusing on President Clinton’s impeachment.  There’s even Michael Isikoff’s notebook from early in the scandal.  Among the scribblings you can pick from his pad out are the words “Monica Lewinsky … Evelyn Lieberman v. Monica … VOA anniversary.”  Presumably it’s a reference to Clinton-era Voice of America director Evelyn Lieberman, who fired Lewinsky when she worked in the White House (good history here in Wikipedia).

But more nuanced on the sex scene, the Newseum puts on display the slippers Ana Marie Cox wore when she helmed Wonkette.  Kinky.  That’s mere feet away from the display housing a red sweater once worn by Helen Thomas.

Yowzeh!  Even kinkier still.

All of which gets us thinking again about that Tennessee marble….

Brad Pitt. Angelina Jolie. Barack Obama.

Brangelinabama.

Thanks to the sensational Below the Beltway for picking up on our crusade for bloggers to mark Saturday’s tenth anniversary of the FDA’s approval of Viagra by allowing, for one hour, all the erectile-dysfunction spam that gets caught in our filters to actually get posted.

Below the Beltway helpfully points us to this Bob Dole in retirement Wikipedia page — which does a great roundup of Bob Dole-related Viagra history.

Here’s another Bob Dole/Viagra resource.  Look closely and you might even spot Britney Spears.  Easy boy.

We continue our special in-depth educational series, Meet Your Superdelegates. A rare chance to get to know specific superdelegates who will be deciding the Democratic presidential nominee. We’re focusing on party elders, government officials, senior advisors, and other high profile politicians who feature prominently in television and film. And we boldly speculate whom they will back at the Democratic convention. Today’s superdelegate profile comes from the breakthrough comedy movie sensation “The Wedding Crashers.”

William Cleary is a U.S. Treasury Secretary with a spacious home on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Despite a tough-as-nails demeanor, his leads a dysfunctional family.  Nevertheless, he’s seen a future President.  At his daughter’s wedding, he says to a guest (whom he doesn’t realize is crashing the event): “A sailor? Good man! Sit down. You didn’t happen to catch my speech on the Paraguayan debt and money supply issue did you?”  Attention to details like that captures the spirit and appreciation of Bill Clinton’s wife Hillary.

Previous profile: Senator Mavros from “Executive Decision.”
Next profile: Senator Ransom Stoddard from “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.”

This just in exclusively to the glass-enclosed nerve center of Extreme Mortman … the yummy menu for the April 26 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner.  Enjoy!

Check out the Presidential Stock Exchange.

Investing in Obama in early February has already more than doubled (a roughly 600% annualized return).

Inversely, an early 2008 Clinton investment ranks up there with Enron, MCI and Bear Stearns.

Actually, no need for the Clintons’ Whitewater/impeachment era attorney David Kendall for this one, but we were still intrigued to see an Elton John page on the Hillary Clinton for president website.

The page promotes a solo concert by Elton John to benefit Clinton’s presidential campaign, Wed., April 9, 2008, at Radio City Music Hall.

Tickets are as high as $2,300 (in what they call “Diamond Orchestra” — which makes us want to call them the “Liberace seats.”)

But what’s wrong with Elton John’s participation?

Extreme Mortman senior historian Richard Andrews notes in another post elsewhere on this blog:

Elton John is going to perform a “benefit” concert for Sen. Clinton next month. He’s a UK citizen,right? His professional services would be an ILLEGAL “in-kind contribution by a foreign national” unless he is paid his usual going rate for a for-profit concert; so, are they going to PAY him? If so, it’s hardly a “benefit.”

Excellent point.  Wonder if there’s an equally excellent response.

Meantime, we’ll just lament that Clinton chose to have the benefit in New York City instead of, say, New Orleans.  At least there they could help a recovering city as well as perform Elton John’s great hit, “Beignet and the Jets.”

Viagra celebrates the first anniversary of its FDA approval Saturday.   How should bloggers observe the day?  For one hour on Saturday, let’s let through all the erectile-dysfunction spam that gets caught in our filters.  It’ll be our way of saluting the unbridled capitalism that Viagra has spawned.  But one hour only — and nothing about low mortgage rates or Nigerians who need our checking account numbers.

So Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are related to Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie?

Ninth cousins, twice removed, or something like that.

Pobama and Hillarina.

By the way, how many times have you thrown your head back and roared with laughter at this staple Barack Obama line: “The name of my cousin Dick Cheney won’t be on the ballot.”

Now, in addition to your uncontrollable guffaws, you can proudly wave this Obamaney-ah placard …