Seems Kempthorne spent about $235,000 in taxpayer funds renovating the bathroom a few months ago, which included installing a new shower, a refrigerator and a freezer and buying monogrammed towels.

– Mandy Smithberger

For the friend that is either completely shocked about the state of our economy, or the friend that saw it coming all along: Fooling Some of the People All of the Time by David Einhorn (disclosure: the book release party for this one provided another example of POGO working, uh, less than tirelessly.  And David is also giving some of the royalties to POGO).

For the person suspicious or fascinated by Vice President Dick Cheney: Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency by Barton Gellman.

For the friend that is still upset about security contractors in Iraq: Shadow Force: Private Security Contractors in Iraq by David Isenberg.

For the person crying for more oversight in the War On Terror: The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer.

For the friend who worries that contractors our putting American troops in jeopardy: Betraying Our Troops: The Destructive Results of Privatizing War written by POGO-founder and current Board member Dina Rasor and Robert Bauman.

For the person that can’t get enough of lobbying scandals: Turkmeniscam: How Washington Lobbyists Fought to Flack for a Stalinist Dictatorship by Ken Silverstein (blogger’s note: extra points for ‘tude in the title).

For the friend worried about the whole Department of Defense, from the weapons to the personnel: America’s Defense Meltdown, edited by Winslow Wheeler and prepared by the Center for Defense Information’s Straus Military Reform Project.

– Mandy Smithberger

Here are just a few pictures from the party:

(For the regulars: we tried something new this year and separated the food and drinks.  We were hoping to get people to move around and not just congregate at one spot.  Turns out most people hung out by the drinks.  Oh, and thanks to Marty Lobel for the annual donation of chopped liver–this year almost all of it went!)

I overheard a few topics of conversation that our Watercooler readers might enjoy:

• “What the &%#*$ is up with the economy?!”  (I’ve never talked so much about real estate values at a party.  There were also a number of people looking for jobs.  A couple of people even asked about posting for jobs on the Watercooler, which we’re always glad to do.)
• “So glad to see that Beth’s here and looking great!”
• “What are you doing for the Inauguration?”
• “Who do you follow on Twitter?”
• “Do you know there’s a woman here who is actually defending Guantanamo?!”

Special thanks to a major donor who has made this party possible over the years.  And this year, thanks to Chris Pabon, we had a fun silent auction that will help defray the rest of the party costs.  As several people commented that certain groups had to either scale back or completely cut their holiday party this year due to financial concerns, I’m especially thankful that we could provide what we did.

Thanks to those who made it, sorry to those who didn’t, and I encourage folks to post their own party highlights in the comments section.

– Keith Rutter

Jordan: “I just got a text from Brooke.  [She's a U. of MD student and friend of the show.]  She said that her class is having a guest speaker and he just mentioned you guys.  The dude’s apparently a big POGO fan.”

Me: “What’s his name?”

Jordan: “I don’t think she was paying 100% attention until she heard POGO.  I think his name is Colin something.”

Me: “Colin Mochrie?  I love him!  I didn’t think he even knew about POGO.”

Jordan: “Not Colin Mochrie.  Some guy talking about physics or global warming or something.  Brooke either didn’t spell it right, or he’s with a group called FAS?”

Me: “Oh, is it Steve Aftergood?  I love Steve Aftergood!  Definite friend of the show.”

Jordan: “No, she said his name is Colin.  I’ll find out more when Brooke’s out of class and can text more.”

Well, it turns out it was Colin McCormack (I guess he knows Peter and Ingrid and our nuke work).  Thanks Colin!  And thanks Brooke for letting us know.

As Chuck Hamel always says, “You gotta get the kids involved.”

– Keith Rutter

– Criminal complaint filed against Gov. Rod Blagojevich and chief of staff John Harris

 
“I look at percentage of GDP when I’m trying to determine affordability.”

– Lt. General (Ret.) Michael Dunn, Air Force Association President and CEO, overheard at the Center for American Progress

Almost without exception, the Australians were friendly, tolerant, and humble almost to a fault.  One night around a campfire, the head stockman of the station we were staying at played the didgeridoo for us.  It was amazing to listen to, and we were all enthralled.  At the end, though, James apologized to us for not playing it better!

The distances are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, as well.  Australia is comparable in size to the U.S., but is for the most part flat and sparsely populated.  So when we drove somewhere, we drove for 200-400 kilometers to get there, and saw few if any other cars, houses, or people.  And because the country was so wide open, you could look out the window or stand at the top of a hill and see forever.

The scenery across the country was spectacular, and each place I went to was so different from the place I’d been the day before.  Arid or semi-arid desert in one place, rainforest in another, and ocean in yet another.  One of my favorite places was Kings Canyon in Northern Territory.  I was awed by the place, which was formed over millions of years by an inland sea, and then took its shape as over more millions of years the earth eroded.

And, of course, I got to see in the wild kangaroos, wallabies, a platapus, crocodiles, sea lions, penguins, wild camels, emu, brumbies, koalas, snakes, birds of so many colors and sizes, and so much more.  All uniquely Australian (to one degree or another), and all so very fascinating.

If you’re interested in seeing some of what I experienced, you can see the pictures I took over there at www.danni.smugmug.com/travel.  I saw so much, and yet, there was so much more that I wanted to see. I can’t wait to go back!

– Danni Downing

In keeping with POGO’s ethos, Chris’s most recent internship was at the Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, helping to prosecute various corporations for unfair and deceptive trade practices, including a multimillion dollar lawsuit against Countrywide Mortgage for their role in the subprime lending debacle.  He sends this smarmy photo of himself with CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.  Chris regrets having forgotten to wear a suit to the photo-op, but takes comfort in the fact that he is the taller one.

– Keith Rutter

– Mandy Smithberger

– Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security, on the impulse in Washington to constantly expand bureacuracies