Good morning.

So, in no particular order: Marion Barry is "truly, truly" sorry. Erik Wemple is leaving City Paper. Dick Cheney has had another (!) heart attack. And more snow could be on the way!

Speaking of Barry's apology, some people think poems are a good way to express regret. For example, the Web site perfectapology.com offers the one below, explaining: "This poem works well in a situation where you've been a little stubborn and haven't been able or willing to acknowledged your wrongdoing." That is perfect!

Three words, eight letters, so difficult to say.
They're stuck inside of me, they try and stay away.
But this is too important to let them have their way.
I need to do it now, I must do it today.
I am sorry.

Unknown Author

Speaking of Wemple, where did DCist get that picture of him wearing a tie?

Speaking of Dick Cheney, Wonkette says "he didn't die so you all can make fun of him."

But seriously. Speaking of snow, did you know that the District's Online Snow Removal Tracking Tool has been recognized as one of the best in the nation? I'd direct you to the press release, in which Chief Technology Officer Bryan Sivak is quoted as calling the Snow Map "just one of many examples of how the District has leveraged technology to make city services more efficient and helpful for our residents," but the link there from DDOT's home page is broken.

Luckily, I received a copy in my electronic mail.

A website that monitors creative government initiatives has confirmed what many District residents already know: the city has one of the best online tools for tracking snow removal efforts. OhMyGov says the DC Snow Map, provides a “snow mountain of useful information” and is ranked a close second [Editor's note: behind only Spokane, Wash.!] in a review of government snow removal websites across the nation.

So, basically, D.C. has an awesome tool to track how awful it is at snow removal? The press release goes on:

In the period between January 29 and February 15, which included back-to-back blizzards in 5 days, 40,071 users logged on to snowmap.dc.gov to track the snow plows. Traffic on the site peaked on February 8 when 7,804 people used the tool, and February 11 when 7,473 people logged on. [Editor's note: Admirable traffic indeed, even if all 40,071 logged in screaming, 'Where's the freaking plow?']

And so. Happy hump day.

In a wide-ranging piece in today's paper, Gellman nails several key points about Cheney's fascinating and still-evolving relationship with George W. Bush. A sampling:

*Cheney's upcoming memoir will take the gloves off on Bush, to whom he has traditionally shown great deference. In Gellman's words: "Cheney's disappointment with the former president surfaced recently in one of the informal conversations he is holding to discuss the book with authors, diplomats, policy experts and past colleagues. By habit, he listens more than he talks, but Cheney broke form when asked about his regrets.

'In the second term, he felt Bush was moving away from him,' said a participant in the recent gathering, describing Cheney's reply. 'He said Bush was shackled by the public reaction and the criticism he took. Bush was more malleable to that. The implication was that Bush had gone soft on him, or rather Bush had hardened against Cheney's advice. He'd showed an independence that Cheney didn't see coming. It was clear that Cheney's doctrine was cast-iron strength at all times — never apologize, never explain — and Bush moved toward the conciliatory.'"

*Cheney feels that the "statute of limitations" has run out on his good-soldierly reticence regarding what happened over his disastrous eight years in office. Again, from Gellman: "'When the president made decisions that I didn't agree with, I still supported him and didn't go out and undercut him,' Cheney said, according to Stephen Hayes, his authorized biographer. 'Now we're talking about after we've left office. I have strong feelings about what happened. . . . And I don't have any reason not to forthrightly express those views.'"

*And this: Cheney drives a black SUV.

*Cheney's former administration colleagues don't all feel the same way: Former press secretary Ari Fleischer: "'If he goes out and writes a memoir that spills beans about what took place behind closed doors, that would be out of character,' said Ari Fleischer, who served as White House spokesman during Bush's first term."

• Does anyone else find this kinda poignant and sad? Also kinda related: Post computers drive tech writer to cloud.
• Ruth Samuelson corner: 1) Now that's "getting" Results! 2) Madness in Capitol Hill: Is it Acker Place NE or Acker Street NE? Please help us out if you can. Amanda Hess corner: CP sex columnist accidentally sets Coeur d'Alene ablaze on her way out.
• Doing more with less: famous people reduce cup sizes.
• Throwing a hot dog down Middle America's hall: "Hipster Grifter" Law & Order episode planned?
• My wife is British, and her family members complain, often justifiably, all the time about the NHS. It is a royal (fnar) pain in the ass, you have to schedule OB/GYN visits a year in advance, you don't get private rooms in hospital. BUT: I for instance pay about $800/month for my employer-"provided" health care. And when my kid got sick last time we were over, they treated him no questions asked. Health care, like roads, is basic infrastructure stuff, one of the few things government can do well. So I'm with the Brit Twits here.
• Nats lose. And Redskins prepare to embark on another wacky season. Hey, why's there a Michael Vick Skins jersey for sale? It's the curse!

• Yesterday afternoon, City Desk posted the latest WaPo article about the Metro crash, which basically announced that circuits on four of the five lines have failed to detect the presence of trains.  The 6 pm newscasts featured commentary from a variety of concerned commuters and so to quell their concerns, Metro GM John Catoe and Councilman Jim Graham held a press conference announcing that the Post got the story wrong.  The system is safe, says Catoe, and the article is a gross misstatement of facts.  Watch WUSA's interview with Catoe – he could be a dreidel with the way he's spinning this new information.

Swine flu, social networks, and the Secret Service after the jump.  Plus, a new alternative to saving the Nats!

• Swine flu isn't going anywhere soon.  Yet another group of local students from the District and Maryland are quarantined in Beijing after testing positive for H1N1.  Although it sucks that their trip is on hiatus, at least they have access to their Facebook accounts.
• Speaking of social networks, Facebook and Twitter are now too accessible to the general public, so Congress had to make its own. 3121, named after the extension of the Capitol Hill switchboard, will premiere in September and hopes to make communication among staffers more efficient.  Really, it's just a more localized version of any other site, so that you can stalk the hottie in Rep. Whatever's office and make awkward eye contact with your new "friends."
• President Obama granted Dick Cheney's request for a six-month extension of his Secret Service protection.  Apparently he has been concerned with his security and privacy in recent years, and plans on asking for another extension when this one expires.  Because when the federal government is hemorrhaging money, cashing in on a former Vice President's security detail is really an investment in the future.
• And finally, the Nationals might seem like a better team if they had better media coverage.  And who better to help them with their image than Ari Fleisher of Ari Fleisher Sports Communications!  Yep, Bush 2's first press secretary has launched a business to train athletes and teams on how to deal with the media.  He's currently busy promoting the Olympics but maybe he can help our fledgling batters in the future.