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Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
White House Is Laughing
This is what the rumor mill in Washington has come to Tuesday. A Washington Post story quoting unnamed lawyers close to the Valerie Plame investigation concludes that the focus is on Vice President Cheney's office.
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Rumors quickly spread that Cheney himself will resign, and that the president will name Secretary of State Rice to succeed him, thus setting her up to run for president in 2008. U.S. News reports the rumors started with government officials and advisers, unnamed, of course. At the White House, the whole thing is greeted with astonishment and a roar of laughter.
Parade of Boozers
Camp Edwards on Otis Air Force Base in Massachusetts has been home to over 200 victims of Hurricane Katrina, with money supplied by Bay State taxpayers. But some evacuees have been spotted spending those funds at strip bars and local liquor stores.
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The Boston Herald reports seeing a parade of evacuees from the Wal-Mart parking lot to nearby liquor stores with many of the evacuees sipping from open bottles in the street. Others have been seen getting lap dances at a local nightclub.
Massachusetts has spent $25 million in order to house and feed Katrina victims at Camp Edwards on Otis Air Force Base. To date, the Red Cross has issued at least $25,000 dollars in debit cards to evacuees sent to Massachusetts.
Crack in the Grass
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Two Toronto parents were astonished when they stumbled across crack kits in the grass near a local playground where their children play. As it turns out, the crack pipes, syringes and matches were labeled with Toronto Public Health logos.
It's all part of a new strategy to make the city safer providing free drug paraphernalia and safe drug-use zones to reduce the risks faced by drug users. But Dr. David McKeown, who helped devise the recommendations, admits there's no evidence that so-called "safer crack kits" will make drug users safer.
TV Show or Campaign Ad?
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The creator of ABC's new hit TV drama "Commander in Chief" has told critics the show will take credit if Hillary Clinton is nominated for president. Rod Lurie, a self-proclaimed Democrat who was replaced after just two episodes, and the show's writers have Geena Davis, who plays the president, make numerous references to the former first lady. But that's not all. Two former Clinton staffers contribute to the show. Writer Steve Cohen served as Hillary's communications director and social secretary Capricia Marshall is an advisor to the show's producers.
— FOX News' Aaron Bruns contributed to this report