HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson is in hot water -- and quite possibly legal liability -- for telling an audience in Dallas that HUD didn't award a contract to a company whose CEO opposed President Bush. Doesn't that beg the question, just who does HUD choose to award contracts to?

Shirlington Limo, for one. According to Ken Silverstein at Harper's, HUD awarded the limousine company now synonymous with Brent Wilkes' poker games and what-not a $519,823 contract. I guess Shirlington Limo CEO Chris Baker didn't criticize Bush, huh?

Come to think of it, with a statement like Jackson's today, why just investigate Shirlington's Department of Homeland Security contract?

And why just investigate one contractor when the Secretary of HUD just admitted a mere statement in opposition cost a company a contract? I'm pretty sure a cursory look through HUD's contract recipients would turn up some companies connected to big name GOP donors and lobbyists. What do you think?