Dennis Hastert, left, has cellulitis. (AP)

CNN IS REPORTING THAT HOUSE SPEAKER DENNIS HASTERT HAS BEEN ADMITTED TO THE HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT OF A SKIN INFECTION.

WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO RE-RUN THIS PHOTO ALL WEEK.

Speaker Hastert Hospitalized for Skin Infection [CNN]

• “Podfisking,” it’s all the rage. [Andrew Sullivan]

• Speaking of sound editors, Fox News Radio should probably hire one. [FishbowlDC]

• The cute naked protesters are only the harbingers of the great naked kerchiefed running of the future! [Running of the Nudes]

• A federal judge forces squabbling attorneys to settle their dispute by playing “rock, paper, scissors.” [UTR]

• Some people hate sex so much they actually prefer cancer. [Evangelical Right]

• And they hate gay mannequins, too. [Towleroad; Consumerist]

• Ralph Reed is happy to grip and grin with a blatant adultering cousin- **** er, as long as it brings in contributions. [Talk To Action]

• Richard Cohen pays his mortgage by writing articles about what stale websites he surfs through in the slow afternoons on 15th Street. Sounds like serendipity to us. [WP]

• Who dropped the ball on the pre-9/11 intelligence? Who do you think? [Able Danger Blog]

• Bono for Secretary of State! And, uh, Axl Rose for President? [Democracy Arsenal]

• Social Darwinism is most easily understood using the parable of the meat helmet. [Punk Ass Blog]

• A cure for cancer will be available in five years. No, that doesn’t mean you should get the plan with unlimited anytime minutes. [BBC]

Some bad news from the West Coast:

Plague, of course, is one of the classic signs of the apocalypse. And here are a few others:

• Fire: Check. At that holy site called the Heritage Foundation, no less.
• Wars: Check.
• Rumors of wars: Check. Thanks, Sy.
• A spree of false Christs and/or Messiahs: Check. That’s what all this “Gospel of Judas” business is all about.
• The birth of the Antichrist: Check. And the TomKitten is named Suri, which means “utterly **** ed” in Persian.

Finally, earlier this week, Robin Givhan won a Pulitzer Prize.

Wow. We’re seriously, seriously **** ed.

Case of bubonic plague confirmed in L.A. [CNN]
Apocalpyse [rotten.com]

Earlier: BREAKING: Fire at the Heritage Foundation
Sy Hersh: Life of the Party
BREAKING: ROBIN GIVHAN WON A PULITZER!
Related: BREAKING: Tom and Katie’s Publicist Gives Birth on Their Behalf [Gawker]