I don't want to hear the words "Lincoln Bedroom" ever again

The mere thought of another four to eight years of Clinton scandalmongering by the media makes me want to take to my bed with every DVD box set I own and never let any news touch my ears again.

Taylor Marsh gives us a taste of what's to come...hell, it's already started:

Former President Clinton brought it up yesterday, as he senses the slime about to start. But what actually qualifies as swiftboating isn't a debate, which is nothing close to what decorated veterans Max Cleland and John Kerry faced. It's this piece of trash (h/t John Cole):

In a new book alleging a campaign of slander and intimidation orchestrated chiefly by Hillary Clinton, Kathleen Willey points a finger of suspicion at the former first couple for the death of her husband, who was believed to have killed himself. Willey, who claims she was groped by President Clinton in the White House, acknowledged in an interview with WND today that she stands by the speculation she poses about her husband's demise in "Target: Caught in the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton," set for release this week by World Ahead Publishing, WND Books' partner. Asked if she suspects her husband Ed, a lawyer and son of a prominent Virginia lawmaker, was murdered, Willey replied, "Most definitely." "I'm having someone with a forensics background look at this, and I intend to pursue this further, now that these questions have been raised," she told WND, pointing to alleged discrepancies in the autopsy report. Does she believe the Clintons were involved? "I do have suspicions," Willey said, "yes." ... .. Kathleen Willey suspects Clintons murdered husband New book details evidence of 'smear' campaign orchestrated by Hillary

Sean Hannity will be the first to gobble this one up, with the rest of the wingnut crew not far behind.

Double-teaming, with great effort, is Mrs. Tim Russert in "Vanity Fair," simultaneously gushing and whining about the bygone days of great D.C. hostesses. Sally Quinn picks a target and you'll never guess who it is.

Read more here.

And Digby has a post that will make you want to join me in the self-infliction of icepick wound to forehead. It's about Mrs. Tim Russert's article in this month's Vanity Fair dealing with how the aging doyennes of Washington's social circle are aghast at the thought of the Clintons being allowed to sully their party scene again, because they didn't understand the rules -- that people like Sally Quinn are entitled by their exalted position to have their surgery-lifted derriéres baised on a regular and ongoing basis by whomever is the leader of the free world and his consort.

Let's just assume for a minute that the Democrats decide to hold the gun to their own heads and nominate Hillary Clinton -- which looks increasingly likely, regardless of what actual voters may want. And let's assume by some miracle that she defeats the Saint of 9/11™ even though the latter has just received the endorsement of Crazy Pat Robertson, thus giving the sheeple of the Christofascist Zombie Brigade™ the signal that it's OK to vote for Rudy, despite the fact that he fucks other women while married and is estranged from his children. Because after all, that's exactly what THEY do. So Hillary takes office on January 20, 2009, and has to deal with a housing crash that's about to cause massive foreclosures because of mortgage resets, a plummeting dollar that's making ballplayers WANT to play for the Toronto Blue Jays, bankruptcies among some of the biggest Wall Street firms, $300/barrel oil and $10/gallon gasoline, and ongoing wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, AND Iran. That's a lot for a new president to have on her plate, right? But none of it will matter, because Sally Quinn and Maureens Dowd and Orth are already sharpening their knives because there won't be any fun parties at the White House. Jerome Corsi will settle his lawsuit against Regnery so he can publish more books about the thousands of conservatives that Bill 'n' Hill have secretly murdered and the satanic den of human sacrifice they've set up in the White House basement in Cheney's old bunker. Then Madam President will be appear in an interview on the Today show, where Matt Lauer will ask, "Some say that you cynically used your position as First Lady to lay the groundwork to take over the White House so you could turn the White House Basement into a castration den. What do you say to that?"

This is what we have to look forward to, folks.

But today, as quickly as you can say "White House For Sale", and fresh on the heels of the news of Neil Bush stuffing his pockets with Education Department cash, comes word that if you're a big fat REPUBLICAN donor, you don't just get to spend the night in That Bedroom in the White House, you get to attend state dinners:

A Las Vegas casino magnate, a North Carolina construction materials manufacturer and a Colorado oil executive were among the 17 major Republican donors invited to dine with French President Nicholas Sarkozy, along with U.S. and French officials, at last night's social dinner.

Campaign finance watchdogs say the Bush administration has taken a page from the Clinton White House and other previous administrations, reserving the coveted invitations for their most loyal supporters.

"These are longtime patrons of the Republican party," said Shiela Krumholz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics. "If it weren't for their money, they would not be there."

The donors on the guest list have raised and contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars for Bush and the Republican party, according to an ABCNews.com analysis of campaign finance data on the Center for Responsive Politics Web site

Among the guests to attend was Las Vegas casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who has contributed hundreds of the thousands of dollars to the Republican party and its candidates and more than $1 million to conservative advocacy groups.

Harold Simmons, another major donor in attendance, contributed $3 million to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group responsible for the controversial ads discrediting Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry's military record during the 2004 campaign.

Not surprisingly, the U.S. ambassador to France and his predecessor both attended the dinner. They too, though, are major Republican donors.

The current ambassador to France, Craig Stapleton, who is married to Bush's cousin, has contributed more than $85,000 to the Republican party and campaigns since 2000, and raised at least $200,000 for Bush's 2004 presidential campaign, making him a Bush "Ranger."

Stapleton's predecessor as U.S. ambassador to France, Howard Leach, a former finance chair for the Republican National Committee, has contributed more than $900,000 to the Republican party and campaigns since 1993. Leach raised at least $100,000 for Bush's 2000 campaign, making him a Bush "Pioneer."

But of course, it's perfectly OK for George W. Bush to reward HIS moneyed friends. Because after all, his family is part of the Washington establishment. And they probably also invited Sally Quinn and Maureens Dowd and Orth.