“An earthquake just hit Virginia, and the tremors were felt all the way up here in Manhattan. It was a quake in Mineral, Virginia, southwest of DC, in the middle of Virginia. The magnitude was 6.0, according to USGS — they upgraded that from an initial 5.8.” [WSJ — WaPo’s offline]

“Three years ago DC pundits predicted with glee the demise of Sarah Palin’s political career.” —SarahPAC, saying Palin has not yet made a decision to run. On August 23, 2008, no DC pundit had even heard of Sarah Palin. Except Bill Kristol.

While we endure another two weeks of baseless Palin Presidential Speculation, we’d like to note that the modern record for a Big Tease, measured from Breakout Convention Speech to Definitive Refusal, belongs to Mario Cuomo (July 16, 1984 – December 21, 1991).

Because of the lateness of the 2008 Republican Convention, Palin would need to hold out until at least February 2016 to dethrone Cuomo, although with her relative youth she could easily extend a Tease well into the 2020 cycle.

The competition is not without controversy, however. Some members of the Governing Body argue that Cuomo’s reign should be extended to April 7, 1993, the date he turned down a Supreme Court nomination, fifteen minutes before it was to be formally offered. But this requires entertaining the notion of “Justice Palin”, the very thought of which sends most members screaming from the room, thus denying the Governing Body a quorum.

“Imagine, not having to pay NJ state income taxes… It must be nice. Imagine getting a court ruling overturned so your name could get put on the ballot. Imagine having dark skin and name recognition and the nerve to think that equalled (sic) knowing something about politics. Sure, knowing someone with fat purse strings is nice, but you have no knowledge.” Republican Assemblyman Pat Delany “abruptly resigned last month” after the missus pressed Send. [Politicker NJ, via Political Wire]

Everybody’s raving over Rick Perry’s new book!

Bobby Jindal: “My friend Rick Perry knows that it is the American people who make this country great and not Washington. With appropriate respect for both our rich history and the practical needs of today, Rick sees a bright future for America, based on freedom and limited government.”

Rush Limbaugh: “Rick Perry has hit the proverbial nail on the head in FED UP!, making a powerful case for a return to limited government and the restoration of the proper balance of power between Washington and the states. As Governor of Texas, he has seen firsthand the greatness of America and the prosperity we can enjoy when we empower people and get government out of the way. He explains in detail the historical, constitutional, and practical reasons why a government closest to the people protects liberty, and lays out the path to right the ship — citizen involvement and engagement to hold politicians accountable. No citizen should skip this book — your future depends on getting this right.”

Read more »

“Secret experiments now underway in the U.S. and elsewhere are sparking fears of a potential extinction-level event hastening the 2nd Coming of Jesus.” [WND]

At bedtime press time, Libyan rebels had entered Tripoli. Gaddafi Kaddafi Qaddafi was nowhere to be seen, while two of his sons had been captured.

We’ve expressed our hope that Obama wouldn’t fuck this up. Maybe he hasn’t.

Jubilant Rebels Control Much of Tripoli [NYT]