For us wretches who eke out a sad living making fun of people who devote their lives to public service, the past week's news has brought an embarrassment of riches. Indeed, a trifecta.

First came the very front-page news that New York's Gov. David Paterson had—allegedly—intervened personally on behalf of an aide accused of domestic violence. It is probably not necessary to remind the reader that Gov. Paterson came to power after his predecessor resigned in the wake of an untidy call-girl scandal.

Then there was Charles Rangel, dean of the New York Congressional delegation, who stands accused of accepting trips to the Caribbean (translation: "bribes"); this on top of failing to pay taxes on rental properties in the Dominican Republic. His excuse for that amounted to "No hablo Español." The accompanying photo of him snoring like a beached cetacean in a lounge chair will doubtless feature prominently in Republican blogs and direct-mail in the days ahead.

Mind-boggled and not yet finished with my first cup of coffee, I turned for comfort to my hometown paper, the Washington Post, only to find a large close-up photo of an extremely forlorn-looking Marion Barry. Headline: D.C. Council votes to censure Barry. Hovering above the photo like an antihalo was a quote: "They may take my committee chair. They can't take my dignity." What's left of Mr. Barry's "dignity" is now in the hands of the U.S. attorney, whose office is investigating whether Mr. Barry sliced $15,000 off a city contract and awarded it to a girlfriend.