We gets lots of author spam around here, usually from authors of self-published conspiracy-theory books. But we weren’t cool enough to get spammed by John Podhoretz, whose new book on Hillary comes out tomorrow. Apparently Podhoretz is spamming prominent journalists and opinion leaders, here in D.C. and elsewhere — to snickering from some of them, of the “FW: !!!” variety. (Some might call this mockery; but Random House calls it a “viral marketing campaign.”)

Podhoretz’s author spam includes this plug for his book:

I think it’s full of surprising and unexpected observations and insights. I tried to make it a fun and fast read, and at least one early critic — Matt Drudge at the Drudge Report — described Can She Be Stopped? as “provocative” and “explosive” in a special report on the book last week.

Who needs a starred review from Publishers Weekly, once you’ve gotten a “flashing siren” review from Drudge?

After the jump, the full message from jPod, in all of its spammy glory.

Here’s the email. We’ve omitted the links to the Random House web page, ‘coz we don’t know want to encourage author spam.

From: John Podhoretz
Sent: Mon 5/8/2006 16:33
To: [Name Deleted]
Subject: My new book

I hope you’ll forgive the impersonal nature of this e-mail, but I wanted to let you and a bunch of other people know today that my new book, Can She Be Stopped?, is coming out tomorrow. I really hope you’ll consider clicking on the link here or elsewhere in this e-mail and buy yourself a copy.

You’ve probably figured out from the title alone that the subject of the book is Hillary Clinton’s presidential ambition. It’s my contention that conservatives and Republicans are kidding themselves if they think Hillary can’t win. Not only can she win in 2008, she will win—unless conservatives and Republicans get a hold of themselves and start thinking clearly about how to prevent it from happening. I describe her surprising strengths as a candidate, offer my analysis of the grave weaknesses besetting both parties, and then propose a 10-point plan for stopping the Hillary juggernaut in its tracks.

I think it’s full of surprising and unexpected observations and insights. I tried to make it a fun and fast read, and at least one early critic—Matt Drudge at the Drudge Report—described Can She Be Stopped? as “provocative” and “explosive” in a special report on the book last week.

If I’ve done my job right, Can She Be Stopped? will scare you, enlighten you and inspire you. So why not give it a shot?

Thanks—

John

Silly John Podhoretz: Don't you read the Note? You're not supposed to actually identify who the source was for today's blistering Rove's-future-in-doubt story in the Washington Post. You're just supposed to say,"'It's SO obvious who those quotes are from,' with a small shake of the head and a knowing half smile." (And here we thought all of DC's journalists had just developed palsy.) Granted, the shake of the head is hard to pull off online, but maybe you should have invented an emoticon for it or something, instead of posting this brilliant thesis: WH press puppy "Scott McClellan's messy fingerprints are all over the WaPo story, as even Bush will be able to see."

OMG! Of course! Scott McClellan, media manipulation mastermind. We can picture him now, cackling gleefully at his latest stroke of genius! "Muahahahaha! Mr. Rove, revenge is a dish best served cold. Muahahaha! Muuuahahahaha!" etc.

Seriously though, does Scotty even have fingerprints? Hasn't he blurred them off by all the thumb-sucking and rocking back-and-forth in the corner he does between briefings?

Rove's Future Role Is Debated [WP]
MCCLELLAN GOES AFTER ROVE [NRO's The Corner]

• Has Rick Santorum's thinking on "intelligent design" evolved? [Santorum Exposed]

• "Interpreting the story of the Lorax as a failure of private ownership hinges on the Once-ler’s note to himself that if he doesn’t cut truffula trees down somebody else will... he had effective ownership by the fact that nobody else cuts down trees despite the passage of time it takes for industry to grow." Economists get their hands on Dr. Seuss. [The Commons]

• Daniel Radosh calls our attention to David Rakoff calling attention to Barbara Bush's beautiful mind. [Radosh.net]

• John Podhoretz flips past Current: "So far it seems like a cross between 'Saved by the Bell: The College Years' and one of those in-hotel channels that offer you tips on how to get to the golf course from the lobby and where to eat in Key Biscayne." [The Corner]

• Place your bets: "Will MSNBC announce the cancellation of 'The Situation with Tucker Carlson' prior to October 1?" [Poolio]

Surprisingly, even the right has problems with re-naming 16th Street "Ronald Reagan Boulevard," over at The Corner Mark Krikorian called it "statism at its worst" and John Podhoretz opined that it "would embarrass Reagan himself," all arguments that should please the 100 percent or so of Washingtonians who are Democrats. More than one cabbie of ours has insisted that our actual destination was National Airport; forced to drive on Reagan Boulevard, we imagine they'd be finding some creative alternative routes.

Personally, we're all for naming a street after Reagan, but would prefer they re-christen 17th Street, Dupont Circle's main thoroughfare for Cosmopolitian- (and otherwise-) soaked gays and home to the annual High-Heel Drag Race. For some reason, we like the idea of burly drag queens going down Reagan's boulevard. You think it'd be first time?

Are you racing? The Voice goes drag! [Georgetown Voice]
Congress Considers Renaming 16th St. In Northwest [AP/NBC4.com]

At the Corner, John Podhoretz sees through the crafty slant the MSM has given the revelation that a CIA spokes person "did not tell Novak directly that [Valerie Plame] was undercover because that was classified." See, by "warn[ing] Novak in the strongest terms...that Wilson's wife had not authorized the mission and that if he did write about it, her name should not be revealed," the CIA flak was actually confirming Novak's suspicion that Wilson's wife DID authorize the mission and, of course, that her name should be revealed! It all makes total sense through the magic lens of J-Pod:

When flaks tell you not to say something without saying something like, "It would be a crime to do so," a veteran of flack spin like Novak might have thought this was an a-ha moment -- the revelation of the truth he needed, rather than the direction not to name Valerie Plame.

WILSON WEIRDNESS, PART 1 [The Corner]