Portrait of a Conservative:

Michael E. O'Neill is the guy who finds the federal judges for Bush to appoint. He's chief counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, and he's been caught committing plagiarism on a routine basis. His excuse: poor work habits.

So here's the guy who helped get Roberts and Alito appointed to the Supreme Court, where they will affect the lives of hundreds of millions of Americans for decades, and he's as lazy as a common college freshman. He cheats. And then he attempts to hide behind the skirts of his wealthy and powerful benefactors. (See The New York Times' story here.)

Your Gov't Hard at Work for You:

According to The Washington Post, "[g]overnment workers repeatedly snooped without autorization inside the electronic passport records of entertainers, athletes and other high-profile Americans." It seems our fascination with the private lives of celebrities can never be satisfied. Undoubtedly it's a good thing that government workers have so much free time on their hands and so little imagination. Surely, one of these good folks will discover than some American celebrity is actually a terrorist.

Jesse Helms, Racist Senator from North Carolina, Dead at 86:

The senator from North Carolina, known for his strong advocacy of racist policies and supporting President Reagan's illegal war in Nicaragua and trade with Iran, died on July 4th. Conservatives are attempting to invoke something like numerology at the timing.