The Rake Magazine

Robert Drinan was a Jesuit priest and law professor at Georgetown who served in Congress during the seventies and was the first member of Congress to call for the impeachment of Richard Nixon. He died today.

He argued that Nixon should be impeached for the secret bombing of Cambodia, not for the secret break in to the Watergate offices of the Democratic Party.

In 1998, he testified at the Clinton impeachment hearings and gave then judiciary chairman Henry Hyde both a law and a morality lesson. I couldn't find the exact quotes on line, but I remember one exchange that went something like this: Drinan told Hyde that he would be judged, too, for what he did regarding impeachment. Hyde sensed Drinan wasn't talking about politics and shot back, "Do you mean God will judge me." Drinan said, pointing his finger, "That's exactly what I mean."

A Jesuit priest and one of the country's most respected constituional lawyers--Hyde was out of his depth.

Kevin and his wife, whose family lives somewhere in Michigan

The new City Pages editor, Kevin Hoffman, logged on to the City Pages blogs Wednesday to clear up the geography question regarding the relative proximity of the Twin Cities and Cleveland to Michigan.

Some have suggested that he could have made the whole thing go away by claiming that his wife's family is from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, which is arguably closer to Minnesota, and doesn't require a boat ride to get there. But no, he went with the time tested explanation employed by politicians everywhere: "I wuz misquoted by a journalist."

In this case, that journalist is Deborah Rybak, the media reporter at the Strib.

First, you might want to ask yourself, Kevin, "Do you want to piss off the Strib's media reporter right off the bat?" Second, you might want to ask yourself, "Do I want to act so thin skinned right in front of all my new subordinates?" Third, you might want to ask yourself, "What sort of big brass ones does City Pages staffer Chuck Terhark have to make him want to make fun of me before he even has the opportunity to kiss my ring?"

There'a thread going over at mnspeak about Hoffman and some of the ribbing he's taken so far. The latest entrys are Deborah Rybak's short jab in the Strib this morning (last item) about Hoffman's myspace page, (Clarification: Rybak wrote the item on Wednesday, before Hoffman said he was misquoted) and my son's fictitious Seven Quick Questions for the out-of-towner.

Given Hoffman's comments on the CP blog, and his own defensive remarks to Rybak when questioned about his age, what we can perhaps conclude about him is that he could use some help in the humor and self deprecation department.

Maybe he could just use a better writer. Let's pretend, ok?

Rybak: "Kevin, aren't you kind of young?"
Hoffman: "Yeah, I'm so young, I still have my high school graduation on my myspace resume, just to make it seem longer."

or

"I'm so young, I have a picture of a green guinea pig on my myspace page."

or

"I saw that the City Pages' publisher's twelve-year-old daughter has a myspace page, and I thought being her myspace friend would be a good career move."

or, maybe even

"Yes, I am young and I have some huge shoes to fill. Steve Perry has been an institution in the Twin Cities since before I got my learner's permit. Over the years, he and City Pages have been responsible for a lot of remarkable journalism, and I hope the current staff, (none of whom were even considered for the editor's job by the corporate bosses) will help me get to know the cities, and help me carry on the tradition of excellence they and Perry have established."

Naah.

Here's a quote from the Strib about the new editor of City Pages and his pending move from Cleveland, which is in Ohio, to here, which is in Minnesota:

"Hoffman, 30, who joined the Cleveland paper as a writer in 2002 and was promoted to managing editor in 2005, said he was drawn to the City Pages job because he and his wife, an attorney, were looking for a place to live that wasn't too far from her family in Michigan."

Ohio is the state that touches Michigan. Minnesota is the state that has Wisconsin and a Great Lake between it and Michigan.

I grope Merkel, Bachmann gropes me.

In case you missed it last night, Michele Bachman put on quite a show of pawing President Bush after he finished the State of the Union address. KSTP got it on tape. (Click play on the tv-shaped window on the right to view the video.)

According to a former Congressional staffer I know, Bachmann would have had to have arrived about 12 hours early in the House chamber to get the seat on the aisle that gave her the opportunity to grope W for the cameras.

As much as I dislike the guy, he is the President of the United States, and he doesn't look any more presidential by having this idiot-school-girl-who-is-pretending-to-be-a-member-of-Congress fawning on him.

Is she really that lame? Don't forget she's the same one who hid behind the bushes or in the bathroom when confronted by opponents. So, I'd have to say, yes she is.

I was just reminded of another possible explanation, though. Perhaps Bachmann was channeling German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was groped by Bush last year.

Unlike Demi Moore, Emperor George has no clothes.

I've just corresponded with my friend, the mother of two sons with the Minnesota National Guard brigade in Iraq. She chatted online with them both yesterday, after they'd received the news that their tour would be extended by our fearless leader.

Nothing funny about that really. The Minnesota Guard contingent is the only Guard combat unit in Iraq right now. News in the paper today was that another of their number had been killed. Ironically, the headline said Sgt. James M. Wosika had been killed just two months short of the end of his tour. Sergeant Wosika never got to hear the news that his tour had been extended.

What is funny, though, is that according to my friend's sons, the Minnesota troops were called into formation, then ordered to put down their weapons and ammunition. Only then were they given the news that they'd be carrying those weapons and ammo for an undetermined, extended time.

There was an editor's note in this month's Vanity Fair (the editor's note is not online--you'll have to spring for a paper copy) in which Graydon Carter comments on a previous story the mag had done on George Bush. It contained anecdotes of how Bush, even when he played tennis, was a spoiled brat who refused to allow a game to end until he'd won. If the opponent won, it was best two out of three. If the opponent won the second game, it was best three of five, etc.

Seems like Georgie's bratty obsession will carry on until we all lose.