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the zeitgeist checklist: What Washington is talking about.

Zeitgeist Checklist: Barack Obama, Presidential ExplorerWhat Washington is talking about this week.

By Michael Grunwald
Posted Saturday, Jan. 20, 2007, at 7:07 AM ET

(Continued from page 1)

6. Last week: 2 Weeks on list: 2 [DOWN ARROW]

Somebody Loan This Guy a Clue
Democrats. House Democrats complete their 100-hour agenda, passing bills to lower student-loan rates, eliminate oil-industry giveaways, and let the government negotiate with drug companies. Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, scoffs that Democrats are just passing easy bills with overwhelming public support, which explains why so many Republicans voted against them and why Bush has threatened to veto them.

7. Last week: 3 Weeks on list: 2 [DOWN ARROW]

Hell Seems Unseasonably Chilly, Too
Pentagon. Legal advocates demand an apology from a Bush administration official who attacked attorneys for Guantanamo Bay detainees—and he provides it! What's next, a confession from O.J.? A serious acting award for Eddie Murphy? Ethics reform in Congress? Yes, it has been an odd week.

8. New This Week [UP ARROW]

It's Hard To Be Impartial About a Man Named Scooter
Crime. The defense delays jury selection in the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial, objecting to any potential jurors with negative feelings about the Bush administration. The judge agrees to limit the jury to members of the Ijaw, Ovimbundu, Ariaal, and other isolated tribes without negative feelings about the administration, but Libby insists on a jury of his peers, consisting solely of faceless bureaucrats responsible for geopolitical catastrophes.

9. Last week: 6 Weeks on list: 2 [DOWN ARROW]

Maybe He Should Wear a Zero on His Shirt
Sports. Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas, Washington's most exciting athlete in years, drops another 50-point game. Fans love how Arenas shouts "Hibachi!" every time he launches a three, to announce that he's heating up. Maybe Bush should shout "Bordello!" every time he launches a policy.

10. New This Week [UP ARROW]

He's Dying Out There!
Death. Legendary Washington Post humor columnist Art Buchwald, his comic timing unimpeded by the mere fact of his expiration, announces in a video obituary: "Hi, I'm Art Buchwald, and I just died." Buchwald's passing is a reminder of the bygone days when journalists were beloved, and Washington Post humor columns were humorous.

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Michael Grunwald, a staff reporter for the Washington Post, is the author of The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise.
Illustrations by Vivian Selbo.
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