Karl Rove had to play the part of a rapper at the White House Correspondent's dinner -- with David Gregory as a backup singer.

Think Progress has the video.

The administration's newest explanation for the firing of eight U.S. Attorneys -- "they did not sufficiently support President Bush's priorities" -- deliberately blurs the distinction between politics and performance.

Gonzales' former chief of staff, Kyle Sampson, in remarks obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press, spoke dismissively of Democrats' condemnation of what they call political pressure in the firings. "The distinction between 'political' and 'performance-related' reasons for removing a United States attorney is, in my view, largely artificial," he said. "A U.S. attorney who is unsuccessful from a political perspective ... is unsuccessful."

A president may certainly fire a U.S. Attorney who refuses to implement legitimate policy. A president who fires a prosecutor because he or she refused to use the office to influence election outcomes deserves to pay a heavy political price. Today's spin assumes that the public doesn't understand the difference.

We understand.

A lot of folks are strategizing on what to do on the Iraq supplemental funding bill. A lot of complicated suggestions. I think that KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) applies here. Don't try to finesse this. Not Bush. Not the Blue Dogs. Not the American People. The American People have said two things. End the war. Don't abandon the troops. The war will be funded for some period of time. No one can hope otherwise.

I propose my old refrain:

Let me explain again - I ask for three things: First, announce NOW that the Democratic Congress will NOT fund the Iraq Debacle after a date certain. . . .; Second, spend the time to the not funding date reminding the President and the American People every day that Democrats will not fund the war past the date certain; Third, do NOT fund the Iraq Debacle PAST the date certain.

Get the votes for that. Should be easy. No restrictions, benchmarks, etc. Bush will ignore all that. But he can not fight the war without money.

In short, fund the troops AND end the war.

The National Review calls for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:

We do not need more evidence . . . to reach a conclusion about the suitability of Alberto Gonzales for the leadership of the Department of Justice.

. . . His claim not to have been involved in the firings suggests that he was either deceptive or inexcusably detached from the operations of his own department. . . . Gonzales’s latest tactic has been to concede that improper motives may have played a role in the firings, but to blame his underlings for any misconduct and to pledge to get to the bottom of it.

What little credibility Gonzales had is gone. . . . Alberto Gonzales should resign. The Justice Department needs a fresh start.

When is the last time you agreed with the National Review? I can't remember either.

Shaquandra Cotton, 15, shoved a teacher's aide. She claimed that the aide pushed her first, but a jury evidently believed the aide, and Shaquandra was convicted of a felony. Despite the absence of any serious injury, a Texas judge sentenced Shaquandra to remain in the Ron Jackson Correctional Complex, about 300 miles from her home, "until she meets state rehabilitation standards or reaches her 21st birthday."

Six years for a shove? How ridiculous. Even a day in the Ron Jackson Correctional Complex would be excessive.

The facility is part of an embattled juvenile system that is the subject of state and federal investigations into allegations that staff members physically and sexually abused inmates.

The case raises serious questions about the impact of race on juvenile sentences.

Creola Cotton, Shaquandra's mother, and activists argue that while [Judge] Superville sent Shaquandra to the state's juvenile prison system, he gave a white 14-year-old arsonist probation.

The GSA political scandal produces high hilarity.

Anyone who has taken a deposition has seen this approach before by a witness, but I never understood how anyone would try it in a public hearing. I love her put upon attitude, as if there could be nothing wrong with it. A strange performance. Some more fun here.

As TalkLeft noted here, the State of Florida agreed to pay $5 million to the family of Martin Anderson, who was beaten to death in a boot camp for juvenile offenders. The family's attorney announced yesterday that Bay County will pay an additional $2.4 million to settle claims against the Sheriff's Office, which operated the boot camp.

When the cat's away . . . I'm gonna play a little. Let's Go Gators! Saturday is just 3 days away, my friends. And Pat Forde throws the Gators' Joakim Noah a little love:

There were times during this challenging season when Noah sought the counsel of his coach . . . Donovan offered a dose of perspective to his power forward.

"He would tell me, 'Would you give all of this up?'" Noah related. "And there's no way. There's no way. Sometimes this year I've taken things for granted. Sometimes you have to sit back and realize how many kids would love to be in this situation, winning an SEC championship for the third time, winning a national championship … getting to talk to all these people . . .

"We get so much love out there. It's overwhelming sometimes in Florida. But this is what it's all about. You've got to enjoy it. This stuff doesn't last forever."

Some reasons to love Jo on the flip.

It’s a bit over the top to blame a single tax cheat for the inadequate funding of D.C.’s school system. Shouldn’t blame be equally apportioned to the “no new taxes” crowd who refuse to raise the money needed for school improvements? Shouldn’t we at least recognize that tax fraud (pdf) is a widespread problem?

Federal prosecutors instead assigned the blame for D.C.’s financial woes to Walter Anderson, who tried to conceal $365 million in personal income and thus avoided paying $40 million in taxes to the District.

"At the Dunbar High School gym, the place is an embarrassment," said prosecutor Karen E. Kelly. "The toilets don't work; soap, paper towels and toilet paper are missing; . . . and students choose to go back to class rather than use the showers. The Cardozo High School pool has been closed for 10 years, and the sports program for the entire D.C. school system is run on $1.9 million." she continued. "Do you dare to imagine the program they could have implemented with $40 million of Anderson's tax money?"

She might have dared ask why the administration has tried, rather unsuccessfully, to privatize tax collection while failing to provide sufficient funds for IRS auditors who are more likely to ferret out wealthy tax cheats like Anderson.

Prosecutors say Anderson also failed to pay an estimated $140 million to $178 million in federal income taxes.

The administration is batting about .000 in making predictions -- Iraqi citizens will welcome the U.S. with open arms; the war might last six days, six weeks, probably not six months; a fearsome supply of WMD's will be seized after the invasion; etc. Why, then, should we credit the president's claim that the American public will "blame Democrats" if he vetos the supplemental funding bill? Memo to the president: if the public believes someone deserves blame for not funding the troops, the blame will fall on the person who vetos funding, not on the Democrats who approved it.

Get over yourself, Mr. President.

It's good to see a prosecutor express concern about police lawlessness. It's even better to see a prosecutor do something about it.

Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota characterizes the police in Ocean Beach, a Long Island resort village, as "thugs in police uniforms" who are "out of control." A grand jury agreed, returning indictments yesterday against the acting chief and three other officers for beating a Manhattan software executive, Samuel Gilberd.

Gilberd was at an Ocean Beach bar on Aug. 28, 2005, when a bouncer accused him of littering. Gilberd was taken immediately by the bouncer across the street to the police department, where he was issued a ticket, said the lawyer, D. Carl Lustig III. The lawyer said police "savagely attacked" Gilberd, kicking him in the gut and dragging him into a room.

The beating may be the proverbial tip of the iceberg. The acting chief fired five officers last year, who in turn sued the village, alleging they were fired for cooperating with Spota's investigation into corruption within the department.

Spota, noting that Ocean Beach has settled a number of lawsuits alleging police brutality, is vowing to conduct a "widespread investigation into criminal activity by police in Ocean Beach." Other accusations against the acting chief include his association with a drug dealer and his cover-up of "bar brawls" that are instigated by off-duty police officers.

Via Cheers and Jeers, Bill Maher hits it good:

Valerie Plame was the CIA's operational officer in charge of counter-proliferation. Which means she tracked loose nukes. So, when Bush said, as he once did, that his absolute, number-one priority was preventing terrorists from getting loose nukes, okay, that's what she worked on. That's what she devoted her life to, staying undercover for 20 years, maintaining two identities every goddamn day. This is extraordinary service to your country.