That'll be $25,000

Pay to play: A source close to U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Not My Dad, said that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, D-Hair Club for Sasquatch, denied Jackson's wife a choice state job because he didn't give Blagojevich a $25,000 donation in 2002. Blagojevich's habit of making demands in return for political appointments may go back even further. In return for a prime crossing guard position in fifth grade, Blagojevich demanded a classmate give him a "Gunsmoke" lunch box.

Try it with me: President-elect Barack Obama answered questions from grade-school kids in Chicago on Tuesday morning. Vice President-elect Joe Biden joined Obama and entertained the kids by demonstrating how easily he can put his foot in his mouth.

Powder envy: We in Western Washington apparently can't even do snow right. Our "Cascade concrete" isn't like the powder snow of the Rocky Mountains. Nope. It's lumpy, blunt and asymmetrical. But then lumpy, blunt and asymmetrical also describes Jim Forman and other Seattle TV reporters bundled up for their nightly "Blizzard Blast '08" reports.