Washington AC/DC - (God's Banker Mess): President Bush has welcomed the Pope at the White House and given his old satanic P2 Lodge chum a present for his 81st birthday - a new puppy to replace the 'Poodle' that was ex-UK Prime Monster Tony Blair.
The Rose Garden ceremonial was slightly muted with the traditional presidential razzmatazz scaled down to reflect the country's recessionary climate.
"Ratzinger got a measly 21-gun salute," a White House source commented, "whereas if this had been London and Buckingham Palace it would have been the royal 41-gun salute. Well, that's the sub prime cutbacks for you!"
There was no immediate word on the ID of the birthday puppy.
"You'll have to wait until Ratzinger's had his birthday treat at Eliot Spitzer's Holy Roman Emperor VSOP agency bash tonight," the Capitol Hill correspondent for LA FagHagSlagMag said today.
"There's about a hundred fresh-faced guys all dressed as altar boys, waiting at the Mayflower Hotel's Presidential Suite. Should be a hoot!"
Meanwhile speculation in Washington AC/DC is rife that the young birthday pup is none other than Opus Dei's top cheerleader at Yale, young Ewan Blair.
Mark Foley is under sedition.
