GovExec has a neat app that lays out OSG Scott Bloch's recent legal troubles called Six Degrees of Scott Bloch: A Scandal Scorecard

Stephen Barr, who writes the Federal Diary column for the Washington Post, wrote on an interesting topic last week - the growth in federal contracting officers (COs) under President Bush. Barr reported that the number of COs has increased 6.8 percent since President Bush took office, according to federal statistics. Barr also was correct in pointing out that there are concerns among many in Washington (both inside Congress and out) that despite these increases, there are still far too few COs and they receive sub par training and support in doing their jobs.

PAYGO -- Congress Pays Heed to PAYGO: On three fronts, Congress paid heed to the principles of PAYGO this week, planning to pay for tax cuts and spending increases in the farm bill, the tax extenders package, and (most surprsingly; see below) the supplemental. The farm bill's new tax credits would be paid for, in part, by limiting the net operating loss carryback to $200,000 on businesses' non-agriculture income if they receive commodity payments. The extenders would raise revenue by limiting the deferral of offshore corporate income. That's the plan for now. Here's how PAYGO works.

Taxes -- Rangel Eyeing Extender Offsets: House Ways and Means chair Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) is sifting through potential revenue-raisers to pay for a set of tax credit and deduction extensions expected to hit the House floor by or immediately after Memorial Day. A prime contender: offshore nonqualified deferred compensation, which would defray $23 billion. Less likely: "The carried interest is dead on arrival. Schumer killed the whole thing. I expect that he would do the same in the Senate — in a quiet way, behind the scenes — on Rangel's 'payfor,'" a lobbyist said.