Adventures of the Coconut Caucus

There’s this thing in the news media called a “dump,” and no, it’s not the actual newsrooms where so many of us work, although they would certainly qualify in many cases.

A “dump” is when something controversial is made public on a Friday, late afternoon or evening, to be published on Saturday when presumably everyone is at the beach, at the mall, at temple, cleaning the house, soccer practice, or some other activity that doesn’t involve reading the newspaper.

This weekend’s gem “dump” is Attorney General Alberto GONEzales acknowledging that yes, indeed, several Justice Department officials, including his top aides, attended at least half a dozen political briefings at the White House over the past few years.

At these briefings all kinds of fun political things were discussed, including the U.S. attorneys situation, and how things looked for GOPers leading up to the 2006 congressional election.

This was something our own HOUSEpanic legal beagle had denied all along, but thanks to a few threats from congressional Democrats, it seems GONEzales had his cometojesus moment going home on the Beltway last night.

Guess what? Justice Department policy prohibits employees from engaging in partisan political activity at the agency, and restricts them from participating in electioneering and campaigns, but GONEzales mumbled some legalese that since the meetings were held off premises (at another government agency, by the way), then it’s okay.

The independent Inspector General’s Office, which reports only to the Congress, naturally disagrees, but that’s another story.

Clearly, Harvard Law School did its job well.

Some ridiculous people in Perú, including the minister of Trade and Tourism, Mercedes Araoz , and elsewhere still believe that Machu Picchu was “discovered” by some National Geographic guy because of course the people who built it, lived there and in the surrounding areas for thousands of years had no idea it was there until a gringo took a picture of it.

(and btw, his grandson as no interest in even traveling there, but that is another story)…

Now we find out that AP has “the exclusive” on something that has been there thousands of years, but in Mexico.

AP Exclusive: Aztec leader’s tomb found

By MARK STEVENSON, Associated Press Writer

MEXICO CITY - Mexican archaeologists using ground-penetrating radar have detected underground chambers they believe contain the remains of Emperor Ahuizotl, who ruled the Aztecs when Columbus landed in the New World. It would be the first tomb of an Aztec ruler ever found.

Notice the “they believe contain”, in other words the exclusive is: a bunch of Mexican archaeologists think they may have found some famous Aztec remains…. hmmm

So where have I read that before? Oh yeah, in an article from November of 2006:

El monolito de Las Ajaracas es de Tlaltecuhtli

No hay duda, el enorme monolito mexica hallado hace unas semanas en el Templo Mayor, en el predio de Las Ajaracas, representa a la diosa de la tierra Tlaltecuhtli, devoradora de los cadáveres y del Sol de la tarde, confirmó ayer el arqueólogo Eduardo Matos Moctezuma.

Pero además, el investigador lanzó la hipótesis de que esa piedra sagrada, ya libre de un piso y de la tierra que la ocultó tanto de los habitantes comunes de la Gran Tenochtitlan como de los españoles, pudiera ser la lápida de una probable tumba de Ahuízotl, tlatoani que gobernó la Triple Alianza entre 1486 y 1502, y fue sepultado ahí unos años antes de iniciada la Conquista.

But wait, here is another one…

AND one more about using the radar thing

Of course since that stuff is in Spanish, I guess it doesn´count.

AND check out the file photo AP is using for this story:

A stone monolith carved with a representation of Tlaltechutli, the Aztec god of the earth, is seen in Mexico City, in this Thursday, Nov. 16, 2006, file photo. Mexican archaeologists, using ground-penetrating radar, have detected directly below the monolith, underground chambers they believe contain the remains of Emperor Ahuizotl, who ruled the Aztecs when Columbus landed in the New World. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

What next? The Politico discovers the Coconut Caucus?