Frank Whaley, Matthew Broderick and a pre-Sex and the City Sarah Jessica Parker Komodo dragon.

Via Think Progress, we see that Matthew Hogan, a former lobbyist for Safari Club International, has been named interim director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. As it turns out, Safari Club International isn’t really about safaris as much as killing endangered species:

SCI members shoot prescribed lists of animals to win so-called Grand Slam and Inner Circle titles. … To complete all 29 award categories, a hunter must kill a minimum of 322 separate species and sub-species – enough to populate a large zoo.

The Bush administration really knows where to find the most qualified foxes to guard the henhouse, now don’t they? This is like their own mini-John Bolton, who advocated knocking ten stories off of the United Nations building and is now the President’s nominee to be our ambassador to the same United Nations.

The last few years really remind me of those dreams you get after eating too much Indian food too close to bedtime.

And speaking of endangered species and food, this hits kind of close to home (The Freshman, 1990):

Agent Simpson: Mr Kellogg, have you ever heard mention of the “Gourmet Club?”

Clark: No

Agent Greenwald: Sabatini and Schlegal established the Gourmet Club operation in 1985. It’s a moveable feast, never the same location twice. Dinner is served every three to six months, depending on the catch.

Clark: (Pointing at menu) There’s no prices there.

Agent Greenwald: The minimum price for eating at this club is $200,000 per plate.

Clark: For dinner?

Agent Simpson: Not just dinner, Mr. Kellogg. The entire menu consists of endangered species.

Clark: They cook these animals?!?

Agent Greenwald: They cook these animals, yes sir. For an international clientele of degenerates, scum, eurotrash.

Clark: And people pay $200,000 to eat these animals?

Agent Simpson: At minimum.

Agent Greenwald: The more endangered the species, the higher the price tag. If there is five or less in the world, the entree goes up to half a million. For the privilege of eating the very last of a species…
…cool million. We figure the dragon will go for about $350,000 a plate. It will be served off the bone with a cream basil sauce. That’s Schlegal’s trademark. If they filet it…Schlegal likes to filet, we know that…they can get 60 servings out of one dragon. That’s a $20 million haul.

Clark: I don’t believe Mr. Sabatini would do that.

Agent Simpson: Well, who do you think he is, Bishop Tutu?