Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he was "snowbound and growing crazy" when he called into Fox News Channel on Wednesday night.

McCain was in Washington for Senate business when he got trapped by the record snowfall that blanketed the city.

“I’m snowbound and going crazy!” McCain told Fox host Sean Hannity. "I think about those old trappers that used to winter over, I don't know how they did it."

For those of you who are curious, trappers are mountain men and fur trappers who explored the American West, often spending weeks at a time in the elements.

Hannity responded: “I guess global warming kept you out of the studio tonight.”

For those of you who are lucky enough to be expecting flowers in the next few days, a Senate source sent ITK a notice about the do’s and don’ts for Valentine’s Day flower and gift deliveries.
 
All Senate staff are requested to advise friends and family not to send flowers or gifts to Senate office buildings and the Capitol.
 
But if that happens, be warned, you may end up with wilted flowers and/or stale candy. Most deliveries have to go through inspection and won’t be available for 72 hours.
 
Also, the notice instructs those who are contacted by a delivery person to meet them in an outside public area. You’re then supposed to inspect the flowers and bring them back to your office on your own.
 
The notice says the directions are “the spirit of being practical while maintaining security on Valentine’s week.”

Leave it to comedian Stephen Colbert to find some humor in the headaches caused by too much “snowverkill” this week.
 
Colbert mocked what he called the global warming deniers of Fox News Wednesday night. He showed clips of Fox News correspondents talking about the back-to-back blizzards areas like ours received shunned Al Gore’s theories.
 
Check out the video for more laughs.

There may not be much food available on Capitol Hill Thursday. But at least the Starbucks is open.

The Senate Rules Committee sent out a message early Thursday about what it called "extremely limited" dining options on Capitol Hill.  "American Grill" will be offering a limited menu from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and "Cups" will open at 7 a.m. and close at 2:30 p.m. 

On the House side, Longworth cafeteria will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. But all three venues will have limited food supplies.

If you need a quick pick me up, pop over to the Starbucks on Pennsylvania Ave., S.E. An employee confirmed they'll be open until 5 p.m.

House members had several snow days this week, but just school children, they'll have to make up for the lost time.

On Thursday morning, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) issued a statement saying that there will be no more votes this week, but noted that two extra days had been added to the legislative calendar. 

Following the Presidents Day recess, the House will reconvene on Monday, Feb. 22, one day earlier than had been scheduled. 

House leaders have also added an extra day at the tail end of that week: lawmakers will convene for votes on Friday, Feb. 26.

The federal government will reimburse Washington authorities for snow cleanup in the wake of two massive snowstorms that recently hit the region, according to D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty.

The mayor said that city agencies have done the best possible job clearing snow from roadways and sidewalks, but that the federal government will kick in disaster relief funds in order to defray growing costs for local governments.

Asked on MSNBC if the city has done the best job possible, Fenty said "There's no question. You got to spend a day with a plow driver, working around the clock" but admitted that "there's always things you could do better."

Fenty also said that he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Wednesday, who assured him that the federal government will reimburse the cost to the D.C. government, a move that he called "a big help."

Many area resident have become frustrated with the D.C. city government as well as Virginia and Maryland authorities because they believe not enough has been done to clear roads, sidewalks and transit lines.

But Fenty said that D.C. averages 15 inches of snow per winter, and does not have the capacity to handle the 65 inches that have fallen on the city this year. He did say that in the future, the city would seek to expand agreements with private contractors and keep snow removal equipment better maintained.

Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D) said Wednesday that federal disaster relief funds administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, are likely on the way for the region.

Over 30 inches of snow has fell on the region since last Friday, essentially paralyzing the city. The federal government has been closed all week and the House of Representatives has also called off its votes for the rest of the week.

The Senate voted Tuesday, but it is unlikely it will vote again this week.

Both the House and the Senate are expected to keep their President's Day recess next week, meaning they will not return for votes until the following week.

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) was arraigned on 24 criminal counts in federal court Wednesday, ranging from conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud to solicitation of bribery.

Blagojevich plead not guilty on all counts and said he would testify in his trial, which is scheduled for this summer.

The former governor surprised reporters Wednesday when he said his defense attorneys would not attempt to block prosecutors from playing more than 500 hours of government wiretapped tapes at his trial. 

"I'm not going to hide behind technicalities in the law to try to block these tapes from being heard," he said. "Every second, every minute and every hour [should be] be played in court."

Since leaving office, Blagojevich has published a memoir, "The Governor," and he is starring on the NBC reality show, "Celebrity Apprentice." His trial date is set for June 3.

The charges relate to alleged attempts in 2008 by the then-governor to profit from his right to appoint a replacement to President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. Five hundred hours of government wiretaps captured Blagojevich in what appear to be negotiations for payment from would-be senators, as well as unrelated attempts to exchange political favors for campaign donations. His and his wife's colorful language helped fuel nationwide fascination with the story. Blagojevich was impeached by the Illinois Legislature and removed from office in early 2009, based largely on the contents of the tapes.

This year, Republicans may be tempted to show their valentine how much they care with an e-card emblazened with the face of Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid or Al Franken.

There's even an option to send a cheerful card with the White House crashers smiling with Joe Biden. The caption: "Everyone's Invited this Valentine's Day."

Or share an Acorn-themed greeting: "We'd Like to Help You Set Up a Tax-Free 'Romance Business.'"

Better yet, Sen. Mary Landrieu says: "For $300 Million in Taxpayer Money for Louisiana, I Sent You This Valentine."

The GOP Valentine's Day Cards site was paid for by the Republican National Committee.

But card-senders beware--observers on Twitter have warned that the site could be fertile ground for fraudsters looking to harvest a slew of e-mail addresses for spamming purposes.

A more secure site would ask for a verifiable e-mail address before asking visitors to enter the e-mail addresses of 50 of their closest friends.

A humorous e-card probably isn't worth exposing your email account to malicious "spambots" that can hi-jack your account and send spam to your entire address book.

Former NFL star Tiki Barber joined First Lady Michelle Obama, along with members of the President's Cabinet and Congress at the White House on Tuesday to launch the "Let's Move" initiative to combat childhood obesity.

The initiative is one of the First Lady's first forays into policy, and will involve a multi-agency review of child nutrition and activity programs currently in place, with an eye towards increasing the amount of healthy food served to children in schools, and offering them more opportunities for sport and play during the day.

Among the attendees at the hour-long event were Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Also present were Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, Sens. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Donna Christensen (Del.-U.S.V.I.), and Marsha Fudge (D-Ohio). Program participants included Dr. Judith Palfrey, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Will Allen, Founder and CEO of Growing Power; Mayor Joseph Curtatone of Somerville, Massachusetts; Mayor Chip Johnson of Hernando, Mississippi; and local students, including a student from DC’s Bancroft elementary school, and members of the 2009 National Championship Pee-Wee football team, the Watkins Hornets.