6:45 PM -- The Katrina-inspired political gaffes keep coming hard and fast: Last week, a sharp-eared Wall Street Journal reporter overheard Rep. Richard Baker (R – Baton Rouge) telling lobbyists: "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."

(The corporate greedheads at WSJ require a subscription, so let's link to the Huffington Post.)

Baker later explained he "didn't intend flippancy," but that he had long wanted to improve low-income housing. Now, for those unschooled in Washington-ese, "didn't intend flippancy" translates roughly as "I didn't know a reporter was listening." For usage notes, see "Lott, Trent" (PDF) and "Reagan, Ronald."

This guy should take a page out of Dubya's book and launch an investigation into himself... to determine why he's such an insensitive ass.

In other words: Go probe yourself, Mr. Baker.

— Red Panda, Finger Pointer, Light Reading