Wow. Just... Wow.

I can't believe this one hasn't gotten more coverage. (If you don't RTFA, be sure and stick with this until the end or you'll miss the punchline)

One of Bush's inner cadre of advisors, Claude Allen, resigned last month, citing a desire to spend more time with his family, according to the White House. This isn't just some low level staffer we're talking about--Allen was one of his chief domestic policy yes menadvisors, paid at the same level as Rove, and responsible pushing everything on Bush's social agenda from abstinence only education to blocking stem cell research. Originally nominated for a lifetime appointment on the federal bench, he's an extremely socially conservative individual we can thank our lucky stars was blocked from the bench. (Ever notice how lifetime appointments fit right in with STD's as "the gift that keeps on giving?" I kid, of course--judicial independence is an important pillar of democracy.)

He's also a good example of Bush's idea of compassionate conservatism. During his confirmation hearings he was asked about a remark he made in 1984 about a candidate's vulnerability arising from his links to "queers", which he explained by saying he meant queer in the "odd, out of the ordinary, unusual" kind of way--not the I-hate-fags kind of way. (I have to hand it to the guy's memory--i'm not sure I'd recall anything that far back, especially not the use of a term in its classical sense in the midst of a political climate that had everyone else using it to blame gays for the then-unexplained Gay Cancer we now know as AIDS.) Much later, as Virginia's Secretary of Health and Human Resources, he blocked Medicare money from going to an indigent rape victim who wanted to obtain an abortion. Most recently he was one of Bush's point men on Katrina, which makes the following story all the more interesting.

Now, he's got other priorities... like staying out of jail. Allen was arrested last week on charges of theft. Now, you're going to have to bear with me for a second here, because this part might be confusing. Step one of the alleged scam was to buy some item from the store and take it home. Step 2: go back to the store, receipt in hand, and pick up another of the same item. Step 3: take it to the return counter to receive a refund. I gotta hand it to you, pal--nice little routine you got going for you there. Except that part where you pay with credit cards. Credit cards that have your name on them. Seems like someone with all of your credentials would have thought a little further ahead than that.