WaPo's Michael Fletcher on NPR: Claude Allen blames (evil) twin brother.

[politicat]

In one of the most AMAZINGLY, head-poundingly soap-operatic alibis to hit Washington since George HW Bush blamed Halcion for his errors in public speaking, Michael Fletcher reported on NPR today that Claude Allen (the former White House staffer who is accused of retail fraud) has a twin brother who may be responsible in part or all for the $5000 he is accused of defrauding out of various retail outlets.

The link to the audio is here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5260390

So yes, we have finally reached the point where Washington is stealing plot scripts from daytime TV. It is only a matter of time before someone gets amnesia, is kidnapped, regains her memory and turns out to be married to three different people (one a woman) and has children with them all.

Update: Transcript: (It took me a minute to get the relevant part...)

NPR: And we should note something, uh, Michael. Apparently Claude Allen has a twin brother?

Michael Fletcher: Yes, he does. He has an identical twin brother who, even close friends can't tell them apart when they see them. People have seen him, and and close friends say that Mr. Allen has indicated to them that maybe his brother holds the key to this entire, um, puzzling affair.

[tridim]

1. Hasn't Libby basically invoked the amnesia defense?

[politicat]

12. Oh, yeah!

Time to start looking for the extra marriage certificates....

[NanceGreggs]

2. If the government is going to be stealing plots from the soaps ...

... could we please have the plot where we all wake up tomorrow morning and realize that the Bush Administration was just a 'nightmare sequence', and never really happened?

[politicat]

10. Agreed...

though at this point, I'd take a serial killer who can take out the stars (while the stars go shoot a made for TV movie or something.)

[rpannier]

3. So the guy they arrested at the store

was his twin? Then how come he wound up being the one arrested, pictured and finger-printed? Did his twin enter a time-space vortex, kidnap Claude, wrestle him to the ground, cuff him, then pull him back through the vortex and leave him in the police car?

[politicat]

6. No, they arrested Claude Allen.

But he's saying that the OTHER 25 incidents were not him. And not this one, either. He claims he's innocent.

[BringEmOn]

4. I was waiting for Flip Wilson's "The Devil made me do it."

[acmejack]

5. Wouldn't it be neat if he had multiple personalities

and had a schizophrenic brother and perhaps a third brother who was normal, but wrongly incarcerated for a crime committed by one of the evil alter egos of the first triplet. Whoa, I smell TV Movie. I'm rich...

[rpannier]

9. Maybe this is really

an episode of Sliders and the evil Claude is 'sliding' through other worlds.

[0007]

7. Der Führer sez screw you, Allen has a twin brother and

we're gonna prove it! Finger prints don't mean dick shit and the man's I.D. doesn't mean a fucking thing. Claude A. Allen has a twin bro.

[CrazyOrangeCat]

8. Oh that is choice!

This is turning into a fuckin' circus!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Sydnie]

11. Funny, Scottie didn't mention any "evil twin" at the gaggle today

In fact, Scottie said he had an "incident" that has been reported to the police because he talked to Andy Card and Harriet Miers about it when it happened.

[politicat]

13. Scottie has problems sticking to the plot of The Electric Company.

This is a bit too Days of Our Lives for poor Scottie...

[Sydnie]

15. ROFL

touche! You, of course, are correct.

[Plaid Adder]

14. This is priceless.

I can't wait to see the two of them together on Meet The Press. If in fact the two of them have ever been seen in the same place at the same time...

The Plaid Adder

[politicat]

16. (Cue Spooky Music): Duh-dum-DUHHHHH....

Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion to...

"This Clueless Presidency!"

Sponsored in part by Exxon-Mobil, Alcoa and Halliburton.

[SheWhoMustBeObeyed]

17. Josh Marshall: yearbook photos of Claude and Floyd Allen at this TPM link

Junior and senior years:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/007891.php

[politicat]

18. This is such a completely weird story....

This is Weekly World News weird.

Did we step into the Bizarro world alternate dimension?

[The_Casual_Observer]

19. jr didn't waste any time condemning the guy!

"I am disappointed!"

[hang a left]

20. So the evil twin might be willing to take the hit??

I need an evil twin.

[politicat]

23. Where can I get one? Sign me up!

There are so many things I could pin on an evil twin....

[NuttyFluffers]

21. So when is Alexis and her clip-on earrings going to show up?

*snatch off clip-off earrings* "YOU BITCH!" *SLAP*

y'know, i joke around, but, this administration hits a new bizarre, byzantine, low just about everyday. so really, when IS Alexis going to show up and slap Babs and Laura upside their drug addled "beautiful minds"?

[politicat]

22. I'll buy the video of that one...

just to rewind and watch over and over and over again....

I've come to the point where the only thing that keeps me going is the Bizarro world quality of the news. Because at least I can laugh at it and wonder how I came to live in a Salvador Dali painting....

[alittlelark]

24. 'Garden State' That's all I can think of when the subject comes up

Garden State.