Hiram O'Monserrate and Tish O'James

St. Patrick's Day, aka our New Orleans, takes the streets of Manhattan at 11 AM this morning, three hours after Marty O'Markowitz's eighth annual political breakfast. St. Patrick, famous for rounding up and driving snakes (or in some sources, non-Christians) out of Ireland, is also a moniker for something more familiar: bizarre political news.

Last night, Hiram Monserrate lost his bid to reclaim his State Senate seat to Assemblyman Jose Perralta. The Queens Times Ledger's Jeremy Walsh and Anna Gustafson (who reported the court decision to keep the election going) have been all over this one like a pudgy kid at Juniors. Is this the end of Hiram Monserrate? He says no, and may attempt a run for Perralta's Assembly seat under the Independents for Joe Lieberman Party (actually it's his own party). That will keep Jeremy busy.

It gets weirder. The Courier's Steve Witt writes about Councilwoman Letitia James's minor scrape with the law. I meant a parked car. Tish is suing a scrap recycling truck driver, whose hitch sticking out of its bumper caused a bruise on Tish's shin when she walked into it. Now there's a personal injury lawsuit (Tish said it's a public safety hazard). The headline? It's a Tish-grace!

Finally, Miss Heather at New York Shitty gives us a portrait of "mind-####ing cuteness" this morning with a photo gallery of bunnies. Uneaten bunnies. Let's raise a pint to that.