President Bush: Proudly staring "challanges" in the face.

It wasn't the Swift Vets. It wasn't the flip-flopping. It wasn't even the windsurfing. It was Moammar Gadhafi.

"It was Mr. Bush who promised to reward Libya if we got rid of this program," Gadhafi said, according to an English-language transcript.

"We know that with this withdrawal, we contributed by 50 percent to his electoral campaign."

Gag me with an enormous, poison-tipped spoon:

The American Conservative Union yesterday announced it had tapped Sen. Zell Miller (D., Ga.) to present the "Courage Under Fire" award to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth at the Conservative Political Action Conference's Feb. 18 banquet.

Doesn't take much to take a hostage in Greece, huh?

Greece's freed hijack hostages on Thursday portrayed their Albanian captors as bungling criminals just after money who were easily manipulated and armed with croissants, not dynamite.

Mary Beth Cahill regrets underestimating the Swift Boat Vets. In other news, obvious things happened.

Trent Lott wants Rumsfeld to go? That's pretty bad.

Rendell wants the 2008 PA primary pushed up to late January:

"Pennsylvanians are deprived of their rightful place in the selection of a nominee because of the lateness of the primary," Rendell said at a news conference.

You know, I bet this entire "push the primaries up" movement is being secretly sponsored by the shadowy Washington elite that make up the professional-political-operative community. The earlier the presidential campaign starts, the bigger their tiny paychecks (or, sometimes, not-paychecks)...

Today's Last Call Shot and Chaser:

SHOT...
"Between work and school and athletics, George always kept up with current events" - Bush, giving Tenet the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
...CHASER
"It's a slam-dunk" - Tenet (Washington Post, 4/17/04).

Proof that even George Bush can inspire neat crafts.

In a fit of poverty-solving efficiency, LA Gov. Kathleen Blanco promises to create an "Office of Community Development" to "bring more grant money into the state." Needless to say, the announcement causes confusion among the staff of the... Office of Community Development.

John Edwards: 1 down, 269 to go.

Silly robbers! It's just a game!