Under normal circumstances, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Phillip Morse would be thrilled to come to work to find a five-pound bag of Hershey’s Kisses left on his desk.

But not this month.

The bag of sugary chocolates now spells out only one thing: sabotage.

Morse and nearly 150 Capitol Police employees are halfway into the department’s annual weight-loss challenge, and the stakes are high: looking trim for the approaching swimsuit season, making good on New Year’s resolutions and, of course, securing bragging rights.

The rules are simple. Teams consist of four people. Each team member weighed in at the beginning of the challenge — Feb. 1 — and will do so again at the end — April 30. The team with the highest overall percentage of lost body weight wins.

But the tactics are complex.

Just ask Sgt. Jason Bell. Last year his team, “3 Guys & A Baby,” recruited a female teammate who gave birth during the competition. She was 20 pounds lighter by the end, and they took second place.

Or ask Laromacine Young, one of the Capitol Police’s administrative assistants. Young has participated in the competition for three straight years and has become known as one of the most benevolent gift-givers in the office. She brings in cakes, doughnuts and other sweets throughout the challenge to tempt the other teams.

“They eat it up, and I’m not a cake-eater, so I’m always winning,” she said during an interview in the Capitol Police headquarters’ fitness center.

The teams go all-out for the challenge, said Christi Trombino-Tonzi, the Capitol Police department’s fitness consultant and physical training instructor.

She oversees the friendly competition and has seen participants lose as much as 40 pounds.

Many teams try to be as heavy as possible at the initial weigh-in so that their final weight will be more stark in comparison.

“People were waiting in line for their initial weigh-in and they were eating sandwiches and drinking a ton of water,” she said. “And each year we have some people who say, ‘When are you starting the challenge again? Because I don’t want to start losing weight until I get weighed in.’ ”

In past years Trombino-Tonzi used different scales to weigh the team members. But before long word began to spread about which scales were lighter and which read heavier. So this year, all of the participants are weighed on the same scale, which sits under lock and key with Trombino-Tonzi in the Capitol Police fitness center so nobody gets any funny ideas about tampering with it when she’s not around.

And while the contest can bring out the most conniving strategies in people, by all accounts it also works wonders for building camaraderie and helping participants make permanent changes toward leading a healthier lifestyle.

“When you give someone a challenge like this and then they lose the weight, they see that they can,” Morse, the police chief, said in an interview in the department’s headquarters. “And then they want it to be a part of their lifestyle.

President Barack Obama on Monday welcomed the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) winner Alabama Crimson Tide football team to the White House. 

The number one-ranked Tide won its 13th college football national championship in January, soundly defeating the Texas Longhorns by a score of 37-21. 

Obama took a jab at White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs during the East Room ceremony. Gibbs is an Alabama native but was born in Auburn and is a fan of the Auburn Tigers. "I've got to tell you, everyone was really excited about this team coming today -– except for my Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs -- (laughter) -- because he was born and raised in Auburn," the president said. "He's hiding in his office right now." 

These types of ceremonies are typically controversy-free but this one came under scrutiny in January from Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), a fierce opponent of the BCS system.

Hatch asked that the only other undefeated team in the top rung of college football, the Boise State Broncos, be invited to the White House so they could appear with the Crimson Tide.

Boise State did not win the national title game, but did prevail over The Texas Christian Horned Frogs in the Fiesta Bowl, a non-championship BCS bowl game. Hatch believes that a formal playoff system should take the place of the BCS, a system that selects the match-up for the championship game through a complex series of human and computer rankings. 

President George W. Bush did invite both Southern California and Louisiana State to the White House in 2004 but while LSU won the BCS national championship game, USC also finished number one in the final Associated Press poll. Boise State finished number four in final polling.

Obama has also expressed displeasure with the BCS system and has voiced support for a playoff system, but the White House declined to invite Boise State.

The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee wields a gavel with jurisdiction over the nation's housing industry. But he's not a homeowner. And he likes it that way.

In a speech Friday to three real estate groups, Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) said that despite having owned condominiums before, he prefers to rent his living space. Or spaces, as it were.

Frank classified himself as a double renter -- he has an apartment in Washington, D.C., and one in Newton, Mass.

"Given my personality and my work demands, I shouldn't be a homeowner," he said.

"I don't want to be in the middle of a committee session and be told the pipes broke or the roof is leaking or this or that. I need when that happens to be able to call somebody and say please fix it and call me when I can come home."

Frank was addressing The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, and the Asian Real Estate Association of America.

Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) wanted to offer an amendment to the jobs bill last week, and when his request was denied, he likened his situation to a “soup sandwich.”

ITK is more familiar with another sandwich phrase that starts with s. But LaTourette was on the House floor, where cursing is a no-no.

It all started when LaTourette wanted to amend the jobs bill, but was not allowed to under the parameters set out by the Rules Committee. The presiding officer, however, did rule that Democrats, in this case Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-N.C.) could yield his time to allow LaTourette to offer his motion.

Not surprisingly, Etheridge declined.

"No," he replied to LaTourette's request for time, explaining that "the rule does not provide for it." 

"Well, that is nonsense," LaTourette said, growing animated, "because the Speaker Pro Tempore just indicated [that you could]."

LaTourette explained his procedural plan, and asked again for time.

Apparently Etheridge hadn't been listening, because he asked, "What was the gentleman's request?"

LaTourette asked again. This time Etheridge cited a Catch-22, telling LaTourette that he'd need a unanimous consent request in order to make his unanimous consent request. Fuming, LaTourette called Etheridge's response "a soup sandwich answer."

Never before had ITK heard that phrase in a congressional debate so we had to look it up. Originally used in the military, a "soup sandwich" is slang for something or someone that's impossibly messy.

Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) is facing a challenging primary race, and perhaps an even more challenging general election battle with Rep. Patrick Toomey (Pa.) this November. But that won't stop the 80-year-old cancer survivor from writing a book.

The Republican-turned-Democrat has seen the inside of both parties, and he told reporters Monday in Philadelphia that he's considering writing a book about his experience. Specter said he has some "special insights" that he could share in the book, though he declined to go into detail.

Specter is no stranger to the writing process, having previously penned two books. His first, in 2001, was "Passion for Truth: From Finding JFK's Single Bullet to Questioning Anita Hill to Impeaching Clinton." Seven years later he wrote, "Never Give In: Battling Cancer in the Senate."

 

As President Barack Obama gears up for what could be a rough ride in this fall's elections, he's turning to a Republican, and the original "rough rider" for some inspiration.

The White House confirmed Monday that Obama is reading "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt," by Edmund Morris, a 920-page tome about the 26th president and his early years in New York and the Wild West. Roosevelt fought in the Spanish-American War in 1898, where his troop, the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, came to be known as the Rough Riders for their daring exploits.

Obama and Roosevelt already have a few things in common: They're both authors, political reformers, and environmentalists. It remains to be seen. however, whether Obama will be a two-term president.

Obama is not the only TR fan to occupy the executive mansion in recent years: President George W. Bush read two Roosevelt biographies during his time in office: "Theodore Rex," Morris's sequel to "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt," and "When Trumpets Call," by Patricia O'Toole.

If you thought the White House Easter eggs this year would be delicious treats from the president's celebrated chefs, think again.

The eggs for the 2010 White House Easter Egg Roll will made of hardwood, and while they're definitely not edible, at least they're biodegradable.

The White House on Monday released photos of this year's egg design, which features an awfully fit-looking Easter Bunny. Only problem is he's not hopping. He's jogging.

The bunny is part of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" fitness campaign. Even more good news: By offering hardwood eggs to kids, the White House will spare their little guests the 90 calories in a real egg, or the 135 calories of a Cadbury's creme egg.

The eggs, which come in dark pink, lime green, yellow, and lavender, also have the President and First Lady's official signatures on them, written in vegetable-oil-based ink, of course.

And while the April 5 festivities are only open to kids 12 and under and their families, anyone can purchase a souvenir egg at the White House website.

In the absence of the official White House TV camera crew, Vice President Joe Biden's speech from Tel Aviv University this week will be live streamed on an unusual website: the original "lifecasting" website Justin.tv.

Founded in 2007 by Justin Kan, Justin.tv began as a project where Kan streamed his entire life online for viewers to watch, 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. The concept attracted a lot of attention, even giving rise to the term lifecasting.

But Justin.tv is not without controversy: In 2008, a 19-year-old committed suicide by overdose live on Justin.tv in front of a room full of viewers, prompting his family to suggest that the voyeuristic nature of the site was partly to blame.

Since its founding, Justin.tv has opened up into a hosting platform, which today harbors more than 30,000 users. One of these is the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, which will coordinate the live stream of Biden's Thursday speech.

The White House told ITK that it can be difficult to stream video onto the whitehouse.gov website from a non-White House camera feed, especially from the Middle East, so Justin.tv is filling in. The speech will be posted on the White House website.

Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) is taking some harsh parting shots at the White House on his way out of office.

Massa, who is stepping down amid allegations of sexual harrassment, said that Emanuel is a ruthless tactician who would "sell his mother" for a vote.

"Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil's spawn," Massa said in a radio interview. "He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive."

Massa also accused Democratic leaders of forcing him out of office because he had voted against healthcare reform.

"This administration and this House leadership has said, quote-unquote, they will stop at nothing to pass this healthcare bill," he said. "And now they've gotten rid of me and it will pass. You connect the dots."

The New York Democrat has said he's retiring due to a recurrence of his cancer, but the House Ethics Committee has also opened an investigation into allegations that he sexually harrassed a male staffer.