When the White House starts a blog, well, we take notice.

Of course, “blog” is probably an overly generous description to describe “Trip Notes from the Middle East.”   But judge for yourself by clicking here.

We’re still mulling over this photo:  “White House Counselor Ed Gillespie at work on the Mideast Trip Notes Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008, at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.”

But those zany White House bloggers aren’t the only ones visiting Israel these days.

We were alerted to this item running in the Virginia blog Farewell Frank:

Three Republican members of Congress — Frank Wolf of Virginia and Congressional Pro-Life Caucus co-chairs Chris Smith of New Jersey and Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania — are in Israel this week lobbying for an abortion ban there.

Would love to know where that issue ranks in the minds of most Israelis.

Talk about a slow news day.  Check out the front page of the White House web site — but warning: you might need caffeine or other stimulative devices to stifle the yawns.

On top you’ll see a picture of President Bush from Dec. 27.

Then a plug for his Dec. 29 radio address.

There’s also prominent mention of a Dec. 28 Iraq fact sheet.

Right below is a promo for the Oct. 15, 2007 “Protect America” FISA Act.

Followed by: “On December 20, 2007, President Bush signed the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act.”

And it goes on. Everything but pictures of crickets and the Maytag repairman.

Guess the White House really isn’t trying to compete with the Iowa caucus story.  Either that or President Bush is doing his best impression of Han Solo frozen in carbonite.

Sara Jane Moore is free …

Sara Jane Moore, the self-styled radical who earned an infamous role in the parlous politics of 1970s America by trying to assassinate President Gerald Ford in San Francisco, was paroled Monday from a Bay Area federal prison after serving more than 30 years, a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Prisons said.

… although she’s no Squeaky Fromme, who at least got on the cover of Time.

Of course, neither would-be assassin got as close to Ford with their shots as this doctor did:

Mike Huckabee is getting ridiculed for expressing a love of Dr. Seuss.

Reason’s Hit & Run:

“Mike Huckabee, that winsome combination of Mr. Rogers and Lonesome Rhodes, goes pandering”:

“Who is your favorite author?” Aleya Deatsch, 7, of West Des Moines asked Mr. Huckabee in one of those posing-like-a-shopping-mall-Santa moments.
Mr. Huckabee paused, then said his favorite author was Dr. Seuss.
In an interview afterward with the news media, Aleya said she was somewhat surprised. She thought the candidate would be reading at a higher level.
“My favorite author is C. S. Lewis,” she said.

Instapundit:

“If you’re gonna pander that shamelessly, you’ve got to be able to read the crowd.”

Tigerhawk:

“I hope he does not read The Butter Battle Book.”

Pinpoint commentary all. But one other thing is worth remembering: the love of Dr. Seuss extends to the current White House. In particular, “Hop on Pop.”

President Bush in 2002:

“As we try harder to serve our children better, we ought to keep in mind the wise words of Theodore Geisel — he, better-known as Dr. Seuss, the guy who wrote ‘Hop On Pop.’”

Laura Bush in 2006:

“‘Hop on Pop,’ which was one of George’s favorites to read to the girls.”

Laura Bush in 2002:

“My husband and I must have read ‘Hop on Pop’ to them dozens of times.”

And this gem — Laura Bush, at the 2000 Republican National Convention:

“George and I always read to our girls. Dr. Seuss’ “Hop on Pop” was one of his favorites. George would lie on the floor to read this story and the girls would literally hop on pop, turning the story into contact sport.”

With Dr. Seuss having so much influence over Republicans, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes up with “Willie Horton Hears A Who!”

Please forgive this battle-hardened jaded blogger a bit of Thanksgiving eve weepy schmaltz.

We’ve been sucked into the Caroline Kennedy-is-Neil Diamond’s-Sweet-Caroline story.  And we’re crying our eyes out.
What really got to us are all the photos the media is showing of Caroline, her dad John F. Kennedy, and her pet pony Macaroni (a gift from Lyndon Johnson).

John F. Kennedy was proof that you can be a tax-cutting, Commie-fighting Democrat from New England — and still take cute pictures with your kids.

If only Joe Lieberman was cute.  That’s why we’re crying.

Great snark and snide by Dana Perino today:

Q What does the President think of Karl Rove being a columnist?

MS. PERINO: Well, I think that he misses his friend Karl and wishes him the best.

Q A journalist, I mean.

MS. PERINO: What do you think of that? That would be a more interesting –

Q I think it’s terrible. (Laughter.)

Q Don’t hold back. (Laughter.)

MS. PERINO: Right. It would be shocking to know a journalist that had an opinion that they would express.

Bulls-eye!  We like that response.  Plenty of facts to back up the zinger — particularly given the following exchange earlier in the gaggle (we’ve bolded the exculpatory evidence).

MS. PERINO: I think that Americans have seen what our troops have been able to do this year, in trying — is starting to turn things around in Iraq. We’ve got a long way to go, but they have started to make some significant gains, and to pull the rug out from under them now seems to be — seems irresponsible.

Q To keep killing you mean.

MS. PERINO: Helen, every — the security situation in Baghdad is vastly improved, because of what our troops have been able to do, working alongside of the Iraqis. I can’t imagine that they would not want to fund these troops before they go home for Christmas.

(Fishbowl has the Rove exchange, too.)

The White House announced the finalists in the competition to name the national turkey, the feathered fella who’ll get a presidential pardon in that annually ridiculous Rose Garden ceremony before Thanksgiving.

Here are the names to vote on:

Wing & Prayer
May & Flower
Gobbler & Rafter
Wish & Bone
Truman & Sixty
Jake & Tom

We and the PKK are relieved that Erdogan & Gul didn’t make the cut. But we’re also dismayed that yet again Shock & Awe aren’t among the choices.  There’s always hope, though, for Rosie & Keith.

White House spokesperson Dana Perino is steadily developing a following in the conservative blogosphere.  Most immediately she’s become an overnight sensation sparked by this statement yesterday:

And unfortunately, it seems that increasingly Congress is being run by Code Pink.

Some of the reviews include:

• Michelle Malkin: “The White House smacks the Dems over Code Pink.  About time.”
• Wake Up America: “Perino is right, the Democrats and congress, are, indeed, being run by Code Pink these days.”
• Commenter at Hot Air:  “Dana Perino for Wonder Woman.”

Meantime, the Examiner’s Yeas & Nays column notes others who have started paying attention:

On Tuesday, reporter Connie Lawn asked her how it feels “when you’re parodied the way you are today and this week in Doonesbury, or the way you are on the ‘Daily Show’? How do you really feel? Does it get under your skin?”

But Perino wouldn’t bite. “I hardly have time to check it out,” she said, before moving on to the next question.

Political rhetoric got a bit hotter today.

Dana Perino was asked this question during today’s White House press briefing:

Dana, this morning Secretary Rice testified in front of the House Foreign Relations Committee and said that errors were made in the case of Maher Arar — the rendition of Arar to Syria, where he was tortured, and that changes have to be made. Is the White House aware of this? And if so, what sort of changes is the administration thinking of in cases of rendition?

Perino’s response (and we’ve added emphasis):

I’m not — I didn’t have a chance to see her testimony because I was in the Cabinet Room, so we’ll have to get back to you. And I would also note — I saw a picture from that hearing where a lady in Code Pink with red painted on her hands disrupted the hearing. And I think it’s despicable. And unfortunately, it seems that increasingly Congress is being run by Code Pink. We do thank Chairman Lantos for trying to restore order to that hearing.

Congress is being run by Code Pink?  We’re curious to see how that comment goes over with other folks who run Congress.

Further evidence that St. Michaels, MD, is fast becoming America’s political home away from home.  President Bush today had crab cakes for lunch at the St. Michaels home of Dick Cheney.

Here’s the roll call of other political luminaries who have have homes there:

• Don Rumsfeld
• Tony Snow
• Nicholas Brady
• Joe Trippi

Anyone else to add to the list?