Ray Nagin, the crazy gun-toting mayor of New Orleans, told horrified reporters last Friday that he was “a vagina-friendly Mayor.” Why the sudden revelation? He was promoting some sort of festival that includes Eve Ensler, the writer of one of the worst plays ever (we have not seen it) that features maybe a talking vagina. MORE »

Is New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin threatening to kill Wonkette with his various automatic weapons? Check out this interview with a local New Orleans news station, where he yells at The Internet for making fun of that photo where he’s being silly, with firearms. He says that because he was criticized for this photo, the “blogs” are now putting his family at risk. Silly Ray, the blogs love you and your “rugged individual” approach towards governance. Besides, bloggers don’t have any weapons with which to inflict harm, since you own every weapon in the country. [WWLTV]

The above AP photo of America’s New Orleans Mayor, Ray Nagin, is very similar to a Times-Picayune photo that is causing huge controversy in New Orleans! Nagin and his Chief of Police were showing off the new police assault rifles, and it seems that this photo has been taken out of context. Says the mayor’s office, “The photo was taken out of context, was selected by our own local media and is now showcased across the nation as a mockery of all this city’s recovery efforts.” Yes, mayor’s office, that would be how photography works. Maybe next time don’t go flailing guns everywhere. [Fox News]

Look, it’s the Mayor of Hurricane Katrina, Ray Nagin, showing off the New Orleans Police Department’s new guns! He’s setting a good example for the city he cannot control. [AP Photo]

Yesterday: MORE »

• North Korean bomb was mad ghetto, their “nuclear scientists are now officially the worst ever.” [Defense Tech]

• Yup, it’s definitely gonna happen: Stewart-Colbert ‘08. [Comedy Central Insider]
• They’ve got our vote, even if Jon refuses to admit how much he really, really loves us. [Above The Law]
• Voting machines nationwide will have the election results pre-entered by the Secretaries of State, so might as well learn their names. [Hullabaloo]
• Grassroots get-out-the-vote tactics using celebrities from the B,C, and D lists. [Democratic Party Blog]
• Ray Nagin endorses William Jefferson, calls him a “black Clyde Barrow dude.” [KATC News via MoJo Blog]
• Washington state: where all the state representatives wear sombreros, and “puke ‘n rally” is a given. [Shakespeare's Sister, The Stranger]
• Ah, the mushroom cloud photoshop gags — funny until they’re not. [Sanctuary]
• Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! It’s like 9/11 and Halloween all rolled into one. NEVER FORGET

Bush stopped off in New Orleans to help pretend to rebuild crap (though we do think it’d be more effective if they just paid for professionals) — you pooler was there.

Bush put on a carpenters apron and talked to a few workers in front of a Dewalt table saw. He would later add gloves to working attire. He shook a lot of hands and helped carry the beams that will soon support the roof. He called on your pooler to join the volunteers - I declined. He made his way to the first floor and grabbed a hammer to pound a few nails. He was pounding in the brackets that help fortify the frame. Nagin, no stranger to the camera, started pounding along side bush. Nagin made a few jokes about people he would like to pound and the two talked briefly about Nagin’s left-handed hammering. “I am a lefty all the way,” Nagin said. Bush, of course, is a righty.

No details on who, exactly, Nagin wanted to “pound,” but we imagine things got suddenly very tense. No mention of Air Force One’s gas milage, either — you’re slipping, guys.

Your pool reporter was noted Fox News critic Jim VandeHei. Full report after the jump.

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President Bush spent part of today in New Orleans, providing some delightful strawberry sensibilities to go along with his photo-op companions, Governor Vanilla and Mayor McChocolate. MORE »

• Supreme Court, by 6 to 3 vote, rules against the administration and John Ashcroft to allow Oregon to practice physician-assisted suicide. [WP, NYT, NYT, W$J, USAT, WT]
• “High-level intelligence assessment” from early 2002 downplayed the likelihood of Niger providing uranium to Iraq. Admin official: “The president has said the intelligence was wrong, and we have reorganized our intelligence agencies so we can do better in the future.” [NYT]
• Jack Abramoff had a “few staff-level” White House meetings; officials are not releasing specifics. [USAT]
• Republicans outline their proposals to limit lobbying; some plans contain plenty of loopholes. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.): “It is like asking John Gotti to do what he can to clean up organized crime.” [WP, WP, NYT, NYT, W$J, USAT, WT]
• Kidnappers of American journalist in Iraq issue ultimatum: release all female prisoners in Iraq or she will be killed. [WP]
• Senators ready their inquiries of NSA eavesdropping; determining its legality will “prove tricky.” [W$J]

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