The political opposition researcher who illegally snooped into Michael Steele's credit history has found something else to stick her nose into: toilets.
Lauren Weiner fraudulently posed as Steele on the Internet to obtain his credit history three years ago. At the time, she was a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee researcher, and he was the lieutenant governor and a likely Republican candidate for Senate.
These days, Weiner is a potty blogger. On fullyflushed.blogspot.com, she digs up dirt on public johns.
"Bathrooms are often over looked, but I believe they are an important part of a dining experience," she writes. "Here I will give you the truth straight from the stall."
I'm all for shaming restaurants with gross bathrooms, but Weiner's written summaries and photos focus more on style points than sanitation.
"The stalls are small, slick, retro-mod looking, but not too confining," she writes of the "Ally McBeal bathroom" (side-by-side, co-ed stalls) in Washington's Cafe Asia. "And the sink is one big stainless steel [trough]. I'm not sure if it's meant to be a place to congregate, but it's certainly a conversation starter."
A less glowing review for the can at OC Wasabi in Ocean City:
"The stark single-stall didn't offer much to discuss," she writes. "It was clean and roomy but that's about all I can say. The generic color wasn't really creative."
While the blog makes no mention of Weiner's criminal past - she pleaded guilty in federal court to fraudulently obtaining a credit report, a misdemeanor - the sleuth is still crossing boundaries.
"They had a single stall for men and another for women (yes, I visited both)," reads her dispatch from O'Donnell's in Gaithersburg.
I wanted to ask Weiner about her bathroom fetish, but she did not return e-mails seeking comment. Maybe she's on the road. When she's not blogging, Weiner is deputy communications director for Americans United for Change, a liberal group gunning for George Bush in a shrink-wrapped bus.
On a cross-country tour, the bus rolled up to Mount Rushmore this week, emblazoned with the president's mug and these words: "The Bush Legacy: Economy in Crisis, Endless Iraq War, Healthcare's a Mess, Record Gas Prices." Weiner's name appeared on a news release promoting the Rushmore stop, which is why I happened to Google her, turning up the blog.
Can't wait for the posting on the tour bus loo.
Just there to pick up some Silver Queen
