Weblogic

Now-former congressman Eric Massa posted on his web site: "Effective at 5 p.m. on Monday the 8th of March, I will resign my position as the Federal Representative of New York's 29th Congressional District in the 111th Congress. I do so with a profound sense of failure and a deep apology to all those whom, for the past year, I tried to represent as our Nation struggles with problems far greater than anyone can possibly imagine." He would not seek re-election, he announced last week, because of health concerns (recurrence of cancer). He then denied reports that he had harassed Capitol Hill staff members.

Depending on who’s telling the story -- Massa confesses to using inappropriate, “salty” language, while several others accuse him of being a Capitol Hill predatory homosexual who groped male staffers working in his office – it’s fairly safe to say there’s been some kind of bad behavior from that office. From allegations dating back more than a year, Massa has been the subject of a House ethics committee investigation for possible harassment. Whether or not this behavior would have gotten him ousted from public office is a moot question, as he voluntarily resigned. He claims his decision to quit was brought about by heavy-handed pressure from the Democratic Party because he was a key roadblock to passage of the health care legislation.

Question: Do you think Massa was set up because he would not vote for health reform, that he resigned due to health reasons, or that he quit his office in order to protect himself and his family from the avalanche of bad publicity that is sure to follow?

In Karl Rove's new book Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight, he discusses many topics including his time in the George W. Bush White House, his mother's suicide and the possibility that his father was gay. He actually deals with the topic of his family extensively in the book and even says the whole story that his mother committed suicide in 1981 because his father told her he was gay was invented by the media. “In order to get to me, people had to say ugly things about my parents. I don’t know whether my father was, at the end of his life, gay or not. I just don’t. I don’t think so, but I don’t know … My mother never said to us that their marriage fell apart because my father was gay. The journalists who say, ‘Well, obviously, he was gay, and Karl had to know that. And this is why she committed suicide.’ They don’t know what they’re talking about," said Rove.

Rove said he would have preferred to leave his personal life out of the book, but felt an obligation to visit subjects that are painful for him to discuss. “It’s not comfortable for me to write about my family. I’m not comfortable writing about me,” Rove said. “But I wanted to do this … It was a chance to set the record straight about two people whom I loved a lot.”

Hollywood was in fine form last night during its annual Oscar celebration of the best movies and performances of 2009. There were many memorable moments: Hosts Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin cuddled up in a Snuggie, Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges winning best actress and best actor nods, Ben Stiller presenting Pandora-style, Kathryn Bigelow becoming the first female to win Best Director and The Hurt Locker upsetting favorite Avatar as the Best Picture choice.

Question: What was your favorite Oscar moment last night?

Question: Should the Senate use reconciliation to get the health care reform bill passed?