It’s hard to figure why blowing up the Middle East hasn’t had the intended effect of lowering gas prices.

Weird.

Net Neutrality squashed in House Committee vote. Find out who did it in.

TPM Reader PON finds this exchange from White House National Economic Council Director Al Hubbard’s briefing yesterday on the president’s ‘Four Point Energy Plan’ …

Q Just to follow up, though, on one element of that point. The President made the point that had ANWR been approved ten years ago, you’d get about a million barrels a day. Had the Iraq production resumed to the level that had been projected before the war, how much would that contribute today?

DIRECTOR HUBBARD: I actually don’t know the precise answer to that. What’s really most important, though, is that we’ve become less reliable on overseas sources of crude oil and other sources of energy, and more reliant on energy from within our 50 states [sic].

Q You have no estimate, though, about what Iraqi production could be?

DIRECTOR HUBBARD: I do not have it.

MR. HENNESSEY: We can get back to you.

DIRECTOR HUBBARD: Yes, we can get back to you with that, or —

Q That would be useful. I mean, just — obviously, since the President has chosen one interesting example in ANWR, the Iraq one would be an interesting one to compare it to, whether that would be more or less than a billion — a million a day.

DIRECTOR HUBBARD: Yes, we will have to get back to you on that.

Can I get back to you on that? Can I leave now?

The hospitality suites man cometh?

Okay, Eugene O’Neill it ain’t. But we’ve mentioned here and there over the last year that in the mix in the Duke Cunningham scandal were some ‘hospitality suites’ in DC where the defense contracting fat cats who bribed Duke also got him and other members of Congress prostitutes and other party-related goodies.

Well, looks like that part of the story is about to bust into the open.

Rove tells the grand jury that he didn’t lie to prosecutors, because it would have been foolish of him to do so. Yes, indeed. That and other news of the day in today’s Daily Muck.

Deroy Murdock gives Tony Snow pointer on how to help the president rebound: Starting attacking the press 24/7.

Possibly even 24/8.

Also leaks should only be provided to WSJ editorial page.

Also, right-wing media will prosper with advance look at new bamboozlement. “By favoring the center-right media, the president will enhance their prestige while the anti-Bush establishment media play catch-up.”

Another choice nugget: “I shudder to imagine how much McClellan’s haplessness has weakened America’s image overseas during wartime.”

Tony Snow is necessary to demonstrate American strength abroad.

Mike Pence is on the floor of the House right now with the new GOP message: no true crackdown on lobbyists without major cuts in government programs.

Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY), Grand Ole Partier.

From the Union College paper, the Concordiensis …

Congressman John Sweeney, a Republican from the 20th district of New York State, appeared at a registered party at Alpha Delta Phi on Friday, April 22. The Congressman came from Geppetto’s Bar and was described by witnesses as being inquisitive and engaging, while also acting openly intoxicated. Longtime friend and owner of Geppetto’s Paulie Lichorat accompanied Rep. Sweeney. Lichorat was unavailable for comment regarding this issue.

See the rest.

CIA Director Porter Goss at the Duke Cunningham Love Shack?

There was a lot of speculation this evening that the kid on the right in the background of that photo of Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY) at the frat party was smoking a joint.

Alas, it turns out not to be true.