Free Republic

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice concluded his state of the state address Thursday by lifting up his English Bulldog Babydog and showing off her butt - sending a message to actress Bette Midler. "They never believed in West Virginia. That we could do it. They told every bad joke in the world about us. And so from that standpoint, Babydog tells Bette Midler and all those out there, 'kiss her hiney.'" Before showing off the dog's behind, Justice marveled, "But this has been the year of Babydog hadn't it? So she's gotta come on out here," he said. "Come on...

For the record, Helen Thomas, who at age 86 has been covering news at the White House for about half a century, no longer heads straight to the office at 5:30 a.m. each weekday. Instead, she goes to Starbucks, where she orders her coffee -- black -- and settles in for some quality reading time with the New York Times and Washington Post. Then, she heads to the White House press room.