Holiday Outt

There are a ton of things to write about today. A ton. And it's always nice to see a flood of bad news for the GOP. We probably won't see the satisfaction of watching any of the top dogs go to trial for their crimes, but it's starting to look like the 'historical judgment' Bush clings to like a security blanket made of 10% Dacron, 90% Moron, is starting to unravel. So start the holiday weekend with a smile on your face.

Today's top WaPo headlines (via Salon):

Va. Senator Warner Will Not Seek a Sixth Term: Retirement is unwelcome news for Republicans who hope to take control of the Senate next year.

Fed Hopes to Avoid Bailout: Bernanke indicates central bank will take action if the economy as a whole seems to be suffering.

Snow Leaving White House: Press secretary will leave his job on Sept. 14 and be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino.

Senator Craig Urged to Resign: GOP leaders seek to contain fallout following Idaho lawmaker's arrest in an airport restroom.

Gonzales Testimony Investigated: Justice Dept. probes whether departing attorney general gave false testimony to Congress.

Fred Thompson, a Front-Runner? Former senator's advisers have no illusions about the difficulties they face with a late entry.

And the expanding DOJ investigation:

The questionnaire [sent to hundreds of DOJ interviewees] reveals several key, new bits of information about the hiring process portion of the IG-OPR probe:

• The investigation has gone well beyond just Monica Goodling, the former counsel to Gonzales who admitted in congressional testimony in May that she frequently "crossed the line" in her hiring decisions by using political criteria for jobs that were not intended to be political by their nature. The internal investigators, who have the power to recommend criminal investigations, had previously acknowledged they were examining Goodling's hiring practices, but this document shows that former Gonzales chief of staff D. Kyle Sampson and two other Justice aides are under inquiry.

• Investigators are not limiting their interviews to people who sought out non-political jobs; instead, they are also asking questions of candidates for senior political appointments.

• In one brief question, the IG-OPR questionnaire asks whether any White House officials sat in on the interviews with senior Justice Officials.

• The investigators are particularly focused on whether Goodling and other Justice officials were using personal political questions when making hiring decisions. Investigators want to know if interviewees were asked:

- to name "your favorite president, legislator, public figure, or Supreme Court justice"
- "what kind of conservative you were (law and order; social; fiscal)"
- what was "your position on the war on terror"