Washington, District of Camelot? King George calling for bipartisanship is like a captured brigand calling for plank abolishment, but yet there he was, the sandlot bully, urging the new kids in town to play nice.

And Speaking of Camelot – Robert Goulet, who famously sang the role of Lancelot on Broadway opposite Richard Burton’s King Arthur and Julie Andrews’s Guenevere, will sing the praises of Emerald Nuts in a $2.6 million thirty-second spot during Super Bowl XLI. Singing a nut’s virtue hardly seems a fitting task for the best ‘C’est moi’ declarer of them all.

Score Card – Progress Iraq: 3,006 American troop casualties, 22,057 American troops wounded. Bush names new top Iraq commander and others who favor a troop surge in Baghdad and banishing to cushy desk jobs and ongoing big bucks those who don’t, all in advance of his loooong awaited Iraq policy. If Bush’s policy is anything other than an immediate and full withdrawal (and with air and sea maneuvers anticipating a new ground thrust already underway, only a fool would so opine), it is yet another betrayal of we, the mushrooms.

More Shifting Sands: John Negroponte to Rice’s deputy at State, Mike McConnell replaces Negroponte as Director of National Intelligence. Conclusion: giant icebergs can’t be seen from executive deck chairs.

Give Me A P! Nancy Pelosi was sworn in as the first woman Speaker of the House—and third in line to the throne—as the 110th Congress began its proscribed two-year term January 4, 2007. Like everyone else, except a few dour Republicans and conservative Democrats and misogynists, I cheered for a full minute then began to wonder how many of our newly elected representatives will end up lying and cheating and stealing their way into jail and disgrace. Please God, forgive me my daily skepticism and deliver them from evil. Amen. P. S. We have to find a term of address other than Gentlewoman from California. How about Gracious Lady from California?

Not Fruit Flies: But Gadflies, those buzzing little buggers that corporate executives have been swatting at for years, and it seems they’re finally getting their due; directors are beginning to listen, let’s hope they hear.

@%#&*@%#&! Or in Eli Lilly’s terms, Zyprexa, its bipolar and schizophrenia drug that gave a lot of users diabetes and other health problems. So far, Lilly has paid $1.2 billion to 28,500 injured users; 1,200 suits remain.

Not So Corny! According to Renewable Fuels Association, as of 12/29/2006 there were 110 U.S. ethanol biorefineries producing 5 billion gallons of fuel with another 73 under construction and 8 expansions that combined will produce 6 billion gallons more, or about a one month supply for the current appetites of America’s motor vehicles. And just how much corn will it take to feed these refineries? According to some estimates, 139 million tons, or over half of 2008’s expected 11 billion bushel harvest; expect to pay a lot more for all those prized ears sloshed with butter.

No Surprise Here. Two major law firms, New York’s Dewey Ballantine and San Francisco’s Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, called off their merger citing irreconcilable differences or some such excuse. My guess: too many lawyers.

2008 Presidential Election Handicap * DECLARED CANDIDATES Ranking Name Party 3 Edwards, John – Former Senator, North Carolina, and VP candidate– declared 12/27/06 in New Orleans, LA D 2 Kucinich, Dennis John - Democratic member of the U. S. House of Representatives – declared 12/12/06 in Cleveland, OH D 2 Vilsack, Tom – Governor, Iowa – declared 11/30/06 in Mount Pleasant, IA D 2 Hunter, Duncan - Republican member of the U. S. House of Representatives – declared 10/30/06 in San Diego, CA R UNDECLARED CANDIDATES Ranking Name Party 6 Obama, Barack – Senator, Illinois D 5 Clinton , Hillary Rodham – Senator, New York D 3 Biden, Joe – Senator, Pennsylvania D 3 Richardson, Bill – Governor, New Mexico D 4 McCain, John - Senator, Arizona R 4 Romney, Mitt - Former Governor, Massachusetts R 2 Brownback, Sam – Senator, Kansas R 2 Gingrich, Newt - Former House Speaker, Georgia R 2 Giuliani, Rudy - Former NYC Mayor R 2 Rice, Condoleeza - Secretary of State R 2 Thompson, Tommy – Former Governor, Wisconsin R 1 Pataki, George – Governor, New York R . 1 Delusional - 10 Yes! Yes! Yes! Note: These rankings have nothing to do with official polls or rankings. They are mine and mine alone.

That’s all for this week, my friends. Keep the fath!