pure bishop (link)

"Bishop! Bishop! Not true -- false!"

(reference help for non-Wyclef fans)

Anyway, this is completely expected, but I love the comment from Roy Blunt's spokeswoman:

"While we firmly believe the contributions were legal at
the time of receipt, the plea indicates that such contributions
may not have been given in the spirit in which they were received."

So -- that's a tidy phrase, but in what spirit were they received, exactly? Presumably she's just saying, he was legally trying to be corrupt, and we weren't. Whatever, it's just spin, and self-conscious spin at that, but it got me thinking about the spirit in which most contributions to Republican candidates are received.

"Your note here says you care about supporting our troops. Great. I hereby receive your donation, in the spirit of destroying social security."

You know? Or, "We receive these donations in the spirit of a tacit understanding that we will clear the way for casino development, not an explicit understanding. Okay?"

And speaking of spirit, I like how this statement pretends that campaign finance even exists on the same continent as the spirit of the law.

Also, though it's unclear from the article whether Gingrich is aware of his black pot status, he offers these words on the subject of the kettle:

"You can't have a corrupt lobbyist unless you have a corrupt member
(of Congress) or a corrupt staff," former GOP House Speaker Newt
Gingrich said in a lunchtime speech. "This was a team effort."

Blech.