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Throw a bunch of fiery politicians into the powder keg that is the Internet and it’s only a matter of time before something explodes. And so it was today on Twitter, when Sen. John McCain posted to the mini-blog service his latest Top 10 list decrying wasteful “pork” projects in the omnibus spending bill now before Congress.

The Arizona Republican posted his first anti-pork list under the Twitter name @SenJohnMcCain late last week, calling attention to projects like $650,000 for beaver management and $1.7 million for pig odor research. He brought the Top 10 list “back by popular demand” the first two days of this week. The project in the No. 1 slot today: “$951,500 for the Oregon Solar Highway.”

That dishonor didn’t sit well with Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer, whose home state stands to benefit from the earmark. Tweeting as @repblumenauer, he mocked McCain.

“McCain wasn’t familiar with a Blackberry [during the 2008 presidential campaign], right?” tweeted Blumenauer, who quickly issued a press release celebrating earmarks for Oregon when the House passed its version of the spending bill last week. “How’s he supposed to understand a solar highway utilizing right-of-way to generate solar power?”

McCain is known for a fiery temper, but he’s obviously got nothing on Blumenauer.

Blumenauer, by the way, also had this to tweet about Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal last week after Jindal delivered the GOP response to President Barack Obama’s address to Congress: “Jindal is weird. I can’t believe Jindal. Such a sad contrast with President. Doesn’t even look or sound good, to say nothing about content.”

I have a feeling it won’t be long before some lawmaker has to issue a public apology for something he or she says on Twitter.

Categories: Arizona, Louisiana, Oregon, Technology, Sen. John McCain, Energy, Budget, Earl Blumenauer, Bobby Jindal, Hill Tweet News

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This week’s episode of HotlineTV leads with a discussion about the Louisiana gubernatorial race.

The big news: Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who caught heat for her leadership in response to the devastation wrought by Hurricance Katrina in 2005, has decided not to seek re-election. The big question: Will former Sen. John Breaux be the Democratic standard-bearer against Rep. Bobby Jindhal?

The Hotline crew also covers:

• The “Vote Different” online video against Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and what it might mean for the presidential ambitions of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., now that the video has been linked to a techie who did consulting for Obama;
• The major gaffe by Politico.com in reporting that Democrat John Edwards would suspend his presidential campaign because his wife, Elizabeth, has cancer again;
• And the style, performance and execution of the main characters in the controversy over the Bush administration’s firing of U.S. prosecutors.

Categories: Presidency 2008, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Governors, HotlineTV, Kathleen Blanco, Bobby Jindal

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Speculation that former Democratic Sen. John Breaux may run for governor of Louisiana next year prompted the state’s Republican Party to starting airing a television commercial that questions Breaux’s eligibility to seek the seat. But an Internet video that shows Breaux singing the praises of likely GOP candidate Bobby Jindal may have more bite.

What exactly has Breaux said about current Rep. Jindal? Here’s the rundown from the video:

• “Bobby Jindal has had every job I can think of Louisiana that is important.”
• “Jindal’s leadership against fraud has resulted in an $8 million reduction in Medicaid spending. … [He] sort of rescued our Louisiana Medicaid program.”
• “Mr. Jindal is a highly skilled and eminently qualified individual possessing outstanding credentials and qualifications.”

The announcer closes with this thought: “Sounds like John Breaux would vote for Bobby Jindal — if he were even registered to vote here.”

Categories: Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, Governor 2008

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