Slamming Tenet

At the same time, we are learning more about Mrs. Giuliani:

"One week shy of her 20th birthday," the Daily News reports, the fresh-faced nursing school graduate ran off with a medical equipment salesman, tying the knot for $70 at a Las Vegas wedding chapel.

"Now, two husbands and one live-in-lover later, Judith Stish Ross Nathan Giuliani has hitched her star to the man who is the GOP front-runner for the 2008 presidency . . .

"After several high-profile missteps - including the former mayor's odd pronouncement and quick retraction that he would let Judith sit in on cabinet meetings if she wanted - she has become scarce on the campaign trail.

"Sources close to the campaign say Judith Giuliani is as driven as her husband in his quest for the White House.

"Her critics say she is a prima donna who won't be contained under the hot glare of a presidential campaign, and they worry she could spell big trouble for the candidate."

I must make sure never to say the White House is shopping for a war czar; according to national security adviser Stephen Hadley, it is looking for an implementation and execution manager.

The Nation's William Greider tackles the recent criticism of Harry Reid:

"The Senate majority leader is being portrayed as an awkward duck who doesn't look the part and can't talk it either. Harry Reid, it's true, is given to saying the most inappropriate stuff, opinions that disturb Washington pundits and the third-string political consultants who appear of TV talker shows. They tut-tut and scold. The kinder ones think he must have misspoken. Others insist Democrats should give him the hook and replace Reid with a more responsible leader.

"What did the man say? 'This war is lost.' 'The president is in a state of denial.' A few years back, Reid shockingly called Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan 'one of the biggest political hacks we have in Washington.'

"What do these and other outrageous remarks have in common? They are all true. A political leader who speaks the truth in unambiguous ways is naturally suspect in the capital city. But he ought to become a hero in the hinterland where citizens dwell. People who care need to rally around Harry Reid now and express their feelings because the political establishment is coming after him. White House slime agents are leading the campaign."

The D.C. Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, has her own Web site, with such headings as "The Government's Ambush of Jeane" and "The Full Story Behind Jeane's 'Threat' to 'Make Life Miserable.' " I like this particular line from the LAT piece on her escort service:

"She explained the complexities of the law to the Associated Press this way: 'You can pay an escort to come to your home, get naked and get a massage and you haven't broken any laws, assuming you stay on your stomach.'"

I'm accustomed to the semi-annual dose of bad circulation numbers for newspapers, but as Editor & Publisher reports, it seems particularly depressing this year. The Dallas Morning News, down 14.2 percent (!) The San Diego Union-Tribune, down 6.5 percent. The Newark Star-Ledger, down 6 percent. The Miami Herald, down 5.5 percent. The San Jose Mercury News, down 4.9 percent. The L.A. Times, down 4.2 percent. The Boston Globe, down 3.7 percent. The Washington Post, down 3.4 percent.

On the plus side: The New York Post, up 7.6 percent; the New York Daily News, up 1.3 percent; the Wall Street Journal, up 0.6 percent, and USA Today, up 0.2 percent.

Well, at least people are still reading the Web site. Right? Right?