After last week, I have trouble believing that the coming week could be any more crazy. And yet it could be.

1.  We know that GOP runners and riders for the Congress haven’t put Dubya in their ads.  But: how many of them are putting McCain in their teevee and radio spots?  And, if that number is greater than zero at this point, does that number go down after the week from hell?

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You know, nojo gave me posting privileges today, which I have attempted to not abuse. I ain’t running this show, and I have no designs on taking over nojo’s baby. But in searching for a WaMu story in Seattle, I came across this.

A Republican rebellion stalled government efforts Thursday to avoid economic meltdown, a chaotic turnaround that disrupted the choreography of an extraordinary White House meeting meant to show joint resolve from the president, the political parties and the presidential candidates. Instead, the summit broke up so bitterly that Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson got on one knee before Democratic leaders in a theatrical attempt to salvage talks.

I don’t know what emotion to go with. Rage and fury are two that come to mind. But, in light of my prolific posting tonight, I’m going to go with stunned silence. With that: good night.

[Addendum, again: nojo, in the WaMu thread, found this too. It’s as if we both heard this giant rip in the cosmic plane at the same time and reacted in the same way.]

So that speculation play you made by buying up tons of WaMu stock in the past couple of weeks?  You might want to sit down for this:

Washington Mutual was closed by the U.S. government in by far the largest failure of a U.S. bank, and its banking assets were sold to JPMorgan Chase for $1.9 billion.

The rescue marks a historic step to clean up a U.S. financial system littered with toxic mortgage debt.

Washington Mutual, the largest U.S. savings and loan, was closed by the federal Office of Thrift Supervision, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp was named receiver. Customers should expect business as usual on Friday, the FDIC said.

Yes. Business as usual, except for the riots at WaMu branches tomorrow morning.

Of course: the FDIC is going to be on this mother, and everybody’s deposits will be safeish. But you remember what happened at Indymac branches? Amateur hour.

[Addendum: from the FDIC press release: “For all depositors and other customers of Washington Mutual Bank, this is simply a combination of two banks,” said FDIC Chairman Sheila C. Bair. “For bank customers, it will be a seamless transition. There will be no interruption in services and bank customers should expect business as usual come Friday morning.” No word on whether Ms. Bair said this while in a fetal crouch.]

You betcha!

The latest communique from the next Vice President of the United States (h/t Sully):

That’s why I say I, like every American I’m speaking with, we’re ill about this position that we have been put in. Where it is the taxpayers looking to bail out. But ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh, it’s got to be about job creation, too. Shoring up our economy, and putting it back on the right track. So health care reform and reducing taxes and reining in spending has got to accompany tax reductions, and tax relief for Americans, and trade — we have got to see trade as opportunity, not as, uh, competitive, um, scary thing, but one in five jobs created in the trade sector today. We’ve got to look at that as more opportunity. All of those things under the umbrella of job creation.

Christ.

Look: it would be entirely too obvious to reference Miss South Carolina’s message of hope to U.S. Americans. So follow me under the fold to a competition that Sarah Palin can actually win. Marge Gunderson takes on Tailbunny in a cage match.

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