Last month we wrote this about Hugo Chavez joining Twitter: This outta get real stupid, real quick. Apparently it has. [seriously?] Chavez says, he has been overwhelmed by nearly 54,000 messages from supporters, critics and people writing to ask for help with a problem or lodge a complaint. On Thursday, …

Brought to you by TMZ. [of course] Here’s President Obama’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Elena Kagan (left) — and former “King of Queens” star Kevin James (right).

In a strange turn of events: [two of a kind] Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry on Monday endorsed Republican-turned-Democrat Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania’s contested Senate primary as the incumbent tries to fend off criticism that he used “Swiftboat”-style attacks. In related news: Specter Flips: Dems Get 60 Votes with Franken Arlen …

But who’s funnier? Conan O’Brien to host fundraiser for former ‘SNL’ co-worker Sen. Al Franken The former “SNL” writer/”Tonight Show” host will join Franken in Minneapolis later this month for a $500-a-person fundraiser (or $4,800 to have a picture taken), according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Conan loves diapers.

Don’t forget to show up, kids: CHRIS CILLIZZA’s monthly “POLITICS & PINTS” trivia contest is tonight at 7 at Cap Lounge: “Don’t worry if you want to come but don’t have a team. We will pair you up with smart, nice people. Promise.” Facebook page here. h/t Mike Allen

This little gem was recently found in the the Health care bill. [ah, Section 9006] …just a few lines buried in the 2,409-page document — mandates that beginning in 2012 all companies will have to issue 1099 tax forms not just to contract workers but to any individual or corporation …

Sex. Weeks ago Harry Reid said the following: [FDC] “Let me answer it this way: I’m not opposed to sex,” he said to a few moments of silence before the crowd began laughing. Yesterday, Harry said this: [CNN] “Republicans are having difficulty determining how they are going to continue making …

This is fantastic. [play ball] Bobby Cox’s final season as Braves manager is not quite going as expected. The team is struggling and even a cake ordered for his honor on Capitol Hill spelled his name incorrectly. I mean, REALLY incorrectly. Cox was being honored for his 50 years in …

Insert “That’s what she said” joke below: [biggest, ever] Thursday, May 6, 2010, the D.C. Lottery will unveil THE BIGGEST SCRATCHER EVER. Towering at 44 feet in height and 14 feet wide, it is a replica of District of Columbia Black, the D.C. Lottery’s first ever instant scratch ticket with …

The trip would have been canceled had he remembered to purchase trip insurance. Though his agency was charged with coordinating the federal response to the major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Department of the Interior chief of staff Tom Strickland was in the Grand Canyon with his wife …

FamousDC presents … the Top 10 Reasons Why David Obey is Retiring 10. He’s not retiring. He’s Favreing. 9. The playful flirting is finally over: He’s gonna ask Flake to marry him. 8. His elbow was numb 7. Chuck Todd’s goatee told his beard to get outta the House 6. …

Sick and tired of waiting for the red line train? Metro has the solution: “Folks traveling on the Red Line will have to wait longer for a train, but Metro officials say that wait will actually ease congestion.” Ah, wait longer.  Makes sense. The bass ackwards explanation here.

Lots of politicians are for sale, but this is the first we’ve seen for sale on Ebay. [sell now price] The Republican Party of Florida has followed through on its promise to auction off an oil painting of Gov. Charlie Crist, who bolted from the party last week to run …

Note: He doesn’t want to come off as “egotistical,” but… “I don’t want to be egotistical, but I could be the governor if I ran. My polls are very high. I got the money. I got the polls. I got the support.” — Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio (R), quoted …

Who needs a research department when you have Wikipedia? President Obama presented a revised version of history at the correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night when he unveiled issues of POLITICO from previous centuries. And while POLITICO certainly didn’t exist during the Civil War or the fight for America’s independence, the …