Click through the jump to continue reading this list of the ugliest politicians America has to offer.

Sen. Dikembe Mutombo (R-CO) showed that he is still one of the most dominant big men in Congress Thursday, blocking a record 16 bills in one legislative session.

The 7-foot-2 senator, who broke the record previously held by Sen. Shawn Bradley (D-NJ), Rep. Arvydas Sabonis (D-OR), and current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), batted away legislation left and right, sometimes swatting bills so hard that they were sent flying all the way back to committee…

"He's like a brick wall out there," a visibly tired and sweaty Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) told reporters. "Sen. Mutombo's arms are so long that if legislation is introduced anywhere in his vicinity, he's probably going to knock it away. There's no way we are going to get health care through with Mutombo out there."

Now, who wants to discretely sex Sen. Mutombo?

See also: Filming of Congressional Reality Show Disrupts Committee Meeting

Anyway, it's true. The decade is coming to an end. This might not mean much to you if — like a number of my friends — you spent the majority of it sleeping or drunk (or drunksleeping). So, if you wanna bring yourself up to speed before this all shuts down, here's a seven-minute wrap-up from Newsweek. [Spoiler Alert: It's been a kind of shitty ten years.]

Oddly enough, it just got repealed…

President Obama called the 22-year ban on travel and immigration by HIV-positive individuals a decision "rooted in fear rather than fact" and announced the end of the rule-making process lifting the ban.

The president signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009 at the White House Friday and also spoke of the new rules, which have been under development more more than a year. "We are finishing the job," the president said…

The Senate finally voted to overturn the ban as part of approving legislation reauthorizing funding for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, in 2008, and President Bush signed it into law on July 30 of that year. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and then-Sen. Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.) led the process in the Senate.

Way to go, America! You got one right. I know that even a stopped clock is non-bigoted twice a day, but I don't want to dismiss this thing. This is a really good thing, and we probably all deserve milkshakes today.

But let's be clear here. The repealing of this nonsensical law was a bipartisan effort. But it's Obama's signature at the bottom of the document, and he'll probably get an undue amount of the credit/blame for this. Credit/blame that he doesn't really deserve. Right alongside the undue credit/blame he's gonna get for the gay-friendly hate crime legislation that just passed.

But, you know what Barack Obama can do for real for supporters of no-brainer civil rights, like, this afternoon? He can suspend Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the military with, essentially, a phone call. He can leverage some of his popularity in Maine and Washington to tip the scales in favor of the gay marriage referendums by issuing a simple statement. He can mention that he stands behind Arlen Specter in support of repealing the Orwellianly-titled Defense of Marriage Act.

Or not. He could also not do any of that.

I wonder which option he'll choose. I can't wait to find out!

The Daily Show airs Monday through Thursday at 11pm / 10c.

So, while we're all waiting for everything in the world to get better and political power to be doled out fairly according to those who have earned it, let's watch some Daily Show clips…

September 17, 2009: Voter Fraud in Afghanistan

The Daily Show airs Monday through Thursday at 11pm / 10c.

June 15, 2009: Irandecision 2009 – Election Results

November 29, 2004: Anarchy in the Ukraine

October 27, 2004: Election 2004 Fiasco Preview – Fraud

December 9, 2003: Indecision 2003 – Russia Votes

October 15, 2002: Headlines – Iraq the Vote

September 27, 2000: Headlines Block the Vote

The Daily Show airs Monday through Thursday at 11pm / 10c.

Submitted by Ketchupman

Leave your captions in the comments section of this post.

This was due to the fact that four years ago — back when Massachusetts senator John Kerry was running for president — the state amended its constitution so that interim senators could not be appointed without a special election.

But, hey, that was four years ago. The world was a very, very different place back then. I mean, there was a Republican governor!  Can you even imagine? Anyway, that craziness has all changed, so guess what happened.

And then guess what's happening now…

Governor Deval Patrick will announce on Thursday that Paul G. Kirk, Jr. will be named as the temporary replacement to fill Ted Kennedy's vacant senate seat, WBZ has learned.

Hmmm… Who is Paul G. Kirk, Jr.? Why does his name sound familiar? Well, I don't know the answer to that, but you're probably just confused.

Although, I suppose it's possible that you remember him as a pharmaceutical lobbyist for Aventis ten years ago. No? How about as the chairman of Democratic National Committee from 1985 to 1989. Not that either, huh? How about his stint as treasurer of the Democratic Party in 1983? Special assistant to Sen. Ted Kennedy from 1969 to 1977, which included the fallout from the senator's notorious incident on Chappaquiddick island in '69?

Do you maybe remember him having a fight to the death with a Vulcan caught deep in the throes of Pon farr? That's what I thought. You're confused.

Organizers reported Sunday that the 44th White House Carnival was a rousing success, raising a record $800,000,066,845 for the federal government—$800 billion of which came from a dunk tank featuring former vice president Dick Cheney…

According to carnival sources, a visibly irritated Cheney, clad in sandals and a white cotton robe, arrived at the one-day event shortly before 10 a.m. After removing his robe to reveal a black, 1940s-style bathing suit, the vice president reportedly touched his hand to the water, muttered something to himself, and was then helped up the tank's ladder by several members of his Secret Service detail.

"All right, you candy arms, let's go," Cheney shouted at the line of people, which consisted of Americans, non-Americans, out-of-work autoworkers, teachers, luminaries from the science community, gays, lesbians, military personnel, members of Congress, children, and the entire Arab-American population. "Hey [former British prime minister Tony] Blair. I see you back there. Think you'll be able to stop crying long enough to throw the ball?"

And my personal favorite part…

One contestant who struggled to hit the target was Sen. John Kerry (D-MA). After nearly 20 unsuccessful tries, several of which involved Kerry standing well ahead of the thrower's line, carnival officials finally allowed Kerry to just walk up and press the button with his hand.

Oh, John Kerry. I'll miss you most of all.

Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) said Clinton did "an outstanding job" at Tuesday’s hearing…

Clinton also received praise from Republicans Thursday, such as from Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. "Like most of us, I think Sen. Clinton could be one of our best secretaries of state," DeMint said.

Of course, you never can please everybody. Whether you're running for president, defending your nomination to the cabinet, voting to invade a sovereign nation based upon shoddy evidence, or trying to choose just seven captions out of a hundred or more for a weekly photo challenge, you're always gonna get at least one loud dissenter.

And you'll never ever in a million years guess who Clinton's was…

Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who had raised conflict-of-interest concerns about President Bill Clinton’s charitable foundation during the former first lady's confirmation hearing on Tuesday, was the lone dissenting vote…

In a statement issued after the vote, Vitter said Clinton is “a smart, capable colleague, and I take no pleasure in voting against her confirmation.”

"But I must do so for one compelling reason," Vitter said. "I believe President Clinton's business and foundation dealings are a multimillion dollar minefield of conflicts of interest. And this could produce explosions at any minute, particularly concerning the Middle East where we least need them."

You remember David Vitter and his somewhat strained history with the Clintons, don't you?

Of course you do.

Are you surprised to see this much love for her?

When asked why he hasn't resigned from the Senate yet (uh, he hasn't resigned from the Senate yet?), Uncle Joe let fly a bunch of malarkey about how his greatest achievement was being elected by the people of Delaware, not the people of non-Delaware America, so he wants to be sworn in again, for kicks.

GEORGE: But you're not going to stay on and try to preside…

BIDEN: No, no, no, no, no, absolutely not. I've already — if I haven't done it — to be honest with you, I think I've done it, but if I haven't done it, I've signed a letter, will sign a letter saying, notwithstanding the fact I'll be sworn in the first day, I have no intention of staying up until the day that I am sworn in as vice president. Secondly, I yield responsibility to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to John Kerry. No, I have, no.

To be precise, Joe Biden "yielded responsibility to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee" by pinky-swearing with John Kerry in the cafeteria.

They sealed the deal by giving Mitch McConnell a swirlie.

Now the news has come that Barack Obama has tapped Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State, dashing Kerry's dreams of having some sort of relevance…

Democrats say he made no secret of his Foggy Bottom aspirations. “He’s crushed,” said one Senate aide. Kerry would have been a fine pick, sources say, but Obama apparently had his eye on Hillary Clinton since the early fall. He does get an impressive consolation prize: the chairmanship of the Foreign Relations Committee vacated by Joe Biden.

Well, at least Kerry will get to bang a gavel.  And this will give him time to devote to some of his favorite activities, like windsurfing, heli-skiing, and cheese-eating.

And sobbing.

Roll Call reports that many incoming legislators more than easily qualify for Barack Obama's socialist tax hike, including…

* New Virginia Senator Mark Warner, who founded Nextel and is worth $91 million

* New Wyoming Representative Cynthia Lummis, who apparently owns $17 million worth of cattle

* New Idaho Senator Jim Risch, who is taking Larry Craig's seat and is worth $20 million (most of which will be spent on industrial-strength disinfectant for that seat)

In case you were wondering, none of these freshman lawmakers will even come close to topping the reigning king of Washington wealth.

What, you really don't know who that is? John Kerry, of course! He's worth at a minimum $231 million, and that doesn't include anything held solely in Theresa Heinz-Kerry's name.

It also doesn't include the millions he spent on advertising in the Chicago media market promoting himself as a candidate for Secretary of State.

He embarked on a "50-State Strategy" of spreading party resources across the country, not just in swing states, which many observers credit for the Democrats' gains in places like Indiana and North Carolina.  And he publicly challenged RNC chair Mike Duncan to a duel.

But now he has announced that his time as DNC chair is done…

Mr. Dean’s decision not to seek a second term had been expected after Senator Barack Obama’s victory in the presidential election last week. New presidents typically install their own party leaders.

Advisers said Mr. Dean had little interest in being party chairman with a Democrat in the White House; historically, the power and visibility of the post is substantially diminished when a party member holds the presidency. Mr. Dean also had long said he would not stay in the position even if Mr. Obama had lost.

Mr. Dean is being mentioned in Washington circles as a potential member of Mr. Obama’s cabinet, perhaps as secretary of health and human services. He is a physician, and as governor of Vermont he undertook a huge effort to expand the state’s health care coverage.

Dean may be gunning for a cabinet post, but my guess is that he's eager to head back to Vermont, roll up his sleeves, and do some good old-fashioned shrieking.

Meanwhile, the DNC will be looking for a new chairperson.  Possible choices to fill Dean's shoes include…

* Congressman Jim McDermott (also a medical doctor)

* Senator John Kerry (also a failed presidential candidate desperate for a new purpose in life)

* CNBC's Jim Cramer (also famous for enraged screaming fits)

Any more suggestions out there?

Several Democrats said Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who won a new six-year term on Tuesday, was angling for secretary of state. They spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to discuss any private conversations.

Kerry has many reasons to covet the world-traveling post. Among them…

* His love of France is surpassed only by the original Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. (Although Benjamin Franklin probably loved the French whores more than either of them.)

* He has yet to windsurf the Persian Gulf.

* His travels might reveal another chateau he can pay to have disassembled, shipped to Sun Valley, Idaho, and rebuilt on his property.

* He wants pictures of himself in Cambodia to mail to T. Boone Pickens.

* He's desperate to get away from Teresa.

Insiders believe that if Kerry truly covets the post, Obama is likely to give it to him, considering that all Kerry ever did for Obama was more or less facilitate his entire national career.

First, by giving Obama the keynote address at his nominating convention. And second, by running such a bad campaign that he lost to a man who now has a 25% approval rating and plunged our nation into massive debt, a recession, and multiple international quagmires… thus clearing the decks for an Obama landslide.

The least amount of payback Obama can offer is the chance to ditch this joint while the getting's good.