from wonkette.....

ok, so i had heard these rumors.......and they are just too delicious....

The rumors appear to have originated with a June 1 posting at the Wayne Madsen Report:

Rocky shoals for Bush marriage? Informed sources Inside the Beltway report that First Lady Laura Bush has established temporary residence in the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC as a result of a tiff with President Bush over an extramarital relationship involving her husband. Mr. Bush’s tryst is said to involve Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. It is not known how long Mrs. Bush plans to remain at the Mayflower, however, her security detail has been present at the hotel during hours when the First Lady would normally be residing in the White House.

While she was National Security Adviser, Rice, who has never been married, referred to George W. Bush as “my husband” before she corrected herself and said, “President. Bush” Rice was speaking at a dinner hosted by New York Times bureau chief Philip Taubman when she made her “husband” remarks.

Now, we’re more than willing to believe parts of this rumor. Laura moving to a hotel? Sure! Perhaps they got into a big fight, maybe over W. drinking again?

The Condi bit, however, just reeks of the made-up. Are we talking about the same Condoleezza Rice — the perpetually polished, prim, and proper Secretary of State? The rumor borders on the laughable. In fact, when we (sheepishly) floated this rumor to one State Department official who has worked closely with Rice, laughter was the result.

Aside from being out of character for the uber-professional, super-dutiful Secretary Rice, we doubt that an affair with Bush would float her boat. Pravda seems to think Condi’s a lesbian; we lean towards a finding of asexuality. Either way, the notion of her having an affair with the boss, who also happens to be the leader of the free world, strikes us as highly dubious.

Of course, none of this has stopped the rumor from sprouting legs and running. On June 2, the Wayne Madsen Report expanded on its earlier coverage:

[T]wo mainstream media sources have confirmed that their sources also have reported an ongoing affair between Mr. Bush and Rice.

The mainstream media is hamstrung in reporting stories about Bush’s personal life. For example, in 2001, the media highlighted Bush’s comments about his passing out from choking on a pretzel while watching a football game in the White House. In reality, Bush, who claims he gave up drinking years ago, passed out from being inebriated. Washington’s movers and shakers knew the story about Bush’s drinking but the media studiously avoided it.

And then, on June 3, this report:

WMR can report that a Mayflower Hotel staffer has confirmed that First Lady Laura Bush spent at least one night this past week at the hotel, which is four blocks north of the White House. Mrs. Bush reportedly moved out of the White House after a confrontation with President Bush over his on-going affair with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Mayflower’s official position on the story is that they can “neither confirm nor deny” the identities of their guests. Because it’s penchant for security and secrecy is well known to the Secret Service, the Mayflower has become a reliable hotel for U.S. and international VIPs.

Some Washington observers believe that the recent flare up between Laura Bush and the president stems from the fact that her poll numbers are twice as favorable as her husband’s (60 percent to 29 percent). Laura Bush’s recent solo missions to New Orleans, Colorado, and an AIDS conference at the United Nations represent a virtual declaration of independence from the most unpopular president in U.S. history.