Real Men of Genius. And Nancy Pelosi, too.

Sometimes you come across an item that strikes you as hilarious, except that it isn't when you really think about it. Here's one -- savor the rich, gooey irony:

It is often said that the new health care law will affect almost every American in some way. And, perhaps fittingly if unintentionally, no one may be more affected than members of Congress themselves.

In a new report, the Congressional Research Service says the law may have significant unintended consequences for the “personal health insurance coverage” of senators, representatives and their staff members.

For example, it says, the law may “remove members of Congress and Congressional staff” from their current coverage, in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, before any alternatives are available.

Fancy that: a bill that's over 2000 pages long, that nobody had a chance to read before it was jammed down the throats of America, having "unintended consequences."

I've been researching the matter a little bit and it also turns out that every American family will now be responsible for the care of a cocker spaniel puppy, all of which are named "Steny."

Meanwhile, Timesman Robert Pear asks a pertinent question:

The confusion raises the inevitable question: If they did not know exactly what they were doing to themselves, did lawmakers who wrote and passed the bill fully grasp the details of how it would influence the lives of other Americans?

For all the grasping that goes on in Washington, it's hardly surprising that such picayune details would fall beyond the grasp of the graspers.

Of course, given what's going to happen to these luminaries in November, chances were pretty good that a lot of them were going to need to find some other form of health insurance anyway.