Gossip Roundup: Be Our Guest

• Reliable Source: Matt Lauer hosts a dinner at Cafe Milano for Meredith Vieira… Sales of Ann Coulter’s new book are strong… Alberto Gonzales denies that his children download music illegally. [WP]
• Heard on the Hill: Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) is boning up on the Ten Commandments, after being unable to name all of them on The Colbert Report… Rep. Howard Coble gets invited to the White House, takes a female staffer — picked through a lottery — as his guest. [Roll Call]
• Page Six: Celebs turn out to try and convince DNC executive director Tom McMahon that New York should be selected to host the Democratic national convention; Barbara Walters promises to take McMahon out and get him drunk. [NYP]

READ MORE: Meredith Vieira, White House, alberto gonzales, ann coulter, barbara walters, cafe milano, colbert report, dnc, gossip, gossip roundup, lynn westmoreland, matt lauer, new books, the colbert report, tom coble, tom mcmahon

Winning the War Against the ’60s, One Day at a Time

Someday, some smarmy asshole with a girl’s name is gonna kill this act.

After a public humiliation on basic cable, Lynn Westmoreland has finally made a name for himself in the house. No, not by actually sponsoring a bill, but by helping to kill one! That bill? Why, some outdated pork called the Voting Rights Act, of course! House Republican leaders have removed the 1965 civil rights legislation from the calendar, citing their inability to add an infinite number of riders to it. And also because everyone in Congress is basically a petty, opportunist bastard. Westmoreland already has a couple nice amendments all picked out:

Those amendments, authored by Westmoreland and Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.), seek to redefine a major portion of the law requiring the Justice Department to approve any changes to voting practices in certain states.

We don’t know what the hell that means either. Whatever, Boehner could attach a rider mandating that poll monitors push all elderly voters down a staircase to test their soundness to vote, we’re not really surprised by much anymore.

VRA Pulled From House Calendar [Roll Call]

READ MORE: Republicans, civil rights, congress, john boehner, lynn westmoreland

Lynn Westmoreland: Not A Georgia Peach

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) is one of only two House members not to sponsor a bill this session. But no matter that.

What Westmoreland really wants you to know is that — unlike his presumably less masculine colleague, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) — he is not a Georgia peach:

The Colbert Report

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Gossip Roundup: Still Spinning

• Heard on the Hill: Fitness instructor was “horrified” to find out that the Bush twins were in his spin class after he made jokes about the president and distributed a DVD of “Bushisms”… Tennessee House candidate Joe Ford Jr. uses MySpace instead of an official campaign site. [Roll Call]
• Reliable Source: Drew Lachey and Steve Case are also attending the Correspondents’ Association Dinner… Euan Blair has a late, antic-filled night… Birthday party for WRC anchor Wendy Rieger is nearly ruined by the Cheneys and the Rumsfelds. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Reps. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) are the only House members who did not sponsor a single bill during this session… Princeton students Lauren Bush, presidential niece, and Harrison Frist, son of the senator, helped to select Bill Clinton as commencement speaker. [The Hill]
• Inside the Beltway: Politicians announce their commencement speech plans… Sandra Day O’Connor: “I was disappointed to see the percentage of women on the court drop by 50 percent.” [WT]
• Rush & Molloy: Mick Jagger won’t give up his hotel suite in Vienna for Bush… Bill Clinton, in Las Vegas, “enjoying Grey Goose, sea bass and apple pie.” [NYDN]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Laura Bush holds White House screening of “Akeelah and the Bee.” [NYDN]

READ MORE: Personalities, SCOTUS, barbara bush, bill clinton, bill frist, commencement, dick cheney, don rumsfeld, euan blair, events, exercise, fitness, george w. bush, grace napolitano, harrison frist, henry hager, jenna bush, joe ford jr, joyce rumsfeld, laura bush, lauren bush, lynn westmoreland, lynne cheney, mick jagger, myspace, parties, princeton, sandra day o’connor, wcha, wchd, wendy rieger