Professional doom-sayer and enjoyably shrill press critic Bob Somerby says he's been at this whole "internet political writing" thing since 1997 and he's kinda distressed that not only hasn't nutty original blogger Matt Drudge gone away, but he still holds sway over campaign narratives! Which he sorta does, though we'd argue not to the extent that he used to, but it is amusing to see all the liberal bloggers taking him so seriously after spending so many cycles trying to discredit and marginalize him. It's sad but true: when Drudge types, we listen. How else to explain the media's non-stop coverage of adorable kitties and killer robots bent on the destruction of humanity? [DailyHowler]

Hillary Clinton strategist Harold Ickes and spokesman Phil Singer had breakfast with the Christian Science Monitor, David Broder, Maureen Dowd, Mark Sheilds, and other "eminences grises of the Washington Press Corps" yesterday, and the Washington Post's Dana Milbank wrote up a nice little summary of the contentious event. The Clintons are not very happy with how the press has treated them, you see, and Phil Singer is especially angry. Singer is mad that the newsmedia listened to that silly Matt Drudge when he ran that silly photo of Barack Obama in a terrorist apron that (Drudge says) was sent to him by a still unknown Clinton staffer, and then they made a big issue of this photo, except they made, in Singer's mind, the wrong issue out of it, as they all sort of used it as proof that the Clinton campaign is grasping at straws. Singer, quite sincerely, expressed his regret that the newsmedia did not instead take their cue from last weekend's new Saturday Night Live, which was on balance rather nicer to Senator Clinton.

Tracy Sefl, the "informal conduit between the Clinton campaign and Matt Drudge," didn't have anything to do with the wacky Obama-in-dress picture that ended up embarrassing the Clinton campaign on Drudge this morning. [The Atlantic, Earlier]

A photo of Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama wearing sort of an apron-looking thing and a funny turban? A Hillary Clinton staffer asks (according to Drudge): "Wouldn't we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC?" Uh, sure. Sure we would. The photo, from 2006, shows Obama "fitted as a Somali Elder, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya." It was sent around by Clinton's press office (once again, according to Drudge) this weekend, in an apparent attempt to prove that the Illinois Senator is a Muslim terrorist who wears a dress. Mischievous Matt Drudge gave the story an amusing anti-Clinton spin. Because his relationship with her is complicated.

Having grown bored with the "Hillary is a scary bitch" narrative and not inclined to push the "McCain is a lobbyist-fucker" story, Matt Drudge has finally found his Obama peg: he will be shot. [Drudge]

[Drudge]

Hill's Drudge envoy: still earning every dime of that paycheck. [Crooks and Liars]

The only two videos on Matt Drudge's YouTube account both feature Hillary Clinton having a coughing fit. Weird thing is, he used his account once last May to show her coughing at a commencement speech, then again today to show her hacking it up on TV. While the old video has actual footage, the new one is just a camcorder pointed at the TV, which would be déclassé even when copying last night's Family Guy. Both videos are below, if you share Drudge's Clinton-cough fetish.

Matt Drudge would like to remind you that GOP Presidential Frontrunner John "Maveirck" McCain hates gooks. He will link to an 8-year-old story, if necessary. That is all. [DRUDGE]

There's a hot new "video game" on the internet that all the kids are talking about in which you play as a presidential candidate and shoot the other presidential candidates! With paint-ball guns. It seems to have upset Drudge? Will Kucinich sue to be included in the assassination game? [TSG, Wonkette]

Related: Sources: George Clooney Looking Good [The Onion]

Has it really been a whole decade since a plucky young intern stole the President's—and the nation's—heart with her devil-may-care attitude about workplace sex and that irresistible smile? Thanks, Matt, for reminding us of a simpler time. We appreciate also your placement of the story beneath the Hillary nonsense and above the inexplicable "CHELSEA SPEAKS!" headline. [DRUDGE]

Is this—Drudge's front page from early this morning through a minute ago—the final result of the unprecedented Drudge/Hillary powershare deal? It is kind of the logical end point of the "Drudge trademark unflattering photo amateurishly altered" game, and frankly both of them should quietly step down now. But oooh, now he's got a siren! (Previously: unflattering Clinton photo via Drudge, idem, idem)

Hillary flashing the crazy eyes remains marginally more important than rapidly spreading violent unrest in Pakistan, as has been the case since early this morning. Also: it is snowy in Chicago, there are a lot of immigrants, and a huge fucking tiger killed a guy! [Drudge]

The South Pole, being the single furthest point anyone on Earth can ever be from Santa Claus, is usually sadly bereft of Christmas cheer. This year, though, our intrepid and insane Antarctic-dwelling scientists had a booze-fueled Holiday Fistfight and now two have been evacuated. The injured party was a Raytheon contractor, so it's not particularly surprising that his jaw intercepted that friendly fist. [Guardian via Drudge]

John McCain is getting pushy with the New York Times over a Jim Rutenberg story he wants killed, according to Drudge. The planned piece, six weeks in the making, alleges that McCain gave special treatment to a lady lobbyist over pending telecom legislation. "Rutenberg had hoped to break the story before the Christmas holiday, sources reveal, but editor Keller expressed serious reservations about jounalism [sic] ethics and issuing a damaging story so close to an election," Drudge says. Drama! Also—convenient! Makes us totally forget about yesterday's news that the Times had acceded to a White House request to change the subhed on their CIA story.

Notoriously media-shy internet person Matt Drudge flew over to England to appear on News Corp's SkyNews (sans hat!). And in a rare TV interview, he slobbered all over Rupert Murdoch's newspapers and talked about how his unchanged-since-1997 news clearinghouse is the future of information dispersal. The interviewer did ask him an unexpected question about just who shares Matt's bed, but he declined to answer.

The Man Behind the Drudge Report Revaled [SkyNews via Soup Cans]

The Clinton/Drudge power-partnership remains strong! Watch out, Obama!
Earlier: Hatted Miami Weirdo Wields Great Media Power and Hill's Money Chinese, Drudge Play Joke.

Even though he's never quite been able to match the profound national mindfuck he laid down when he went live with Monica Lewinsky a couple minutes before everyone else, Matt Drudge's bizarre story sense and predilections still drive the larger political media narrative. Except for his weird weather obsession. But when he puts a semi-comprehensible political headline in 72-pt. font, people take note. The fact that he's a weirdo Crypto-Liberti-Publican has always been something of a problem for the liberals who used to control the media, but now, finally, they have a candidate craven enough to play Matt's game: Hillary Clinton!

Uhh... "chop suey club?" What does that even mean? We know Hillary is a pawn of the Red Chinese Menace (or, in this case, the Chinatown Mob) but seriously, is this Drudge headline supposed to be like an oblique Amy Tan joke or something? Was "A Coolie $400 Grand" a little too extreme? Also: Drudge bonus points for "NOONAN: Hillary 'is the smile on the Halloween pumpkin that knows harvest is coming'... because an utterly insane, randomly-selected quote from any given Peggy Noonan column is basically the best idea for a regular post we've never thought of.