Billboards in Space?

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Senate Slurs

The Senate debate over judicial filibusters has inflamed passions on both sides of the aisle, leading members of both parties to compare the other to Nazis. Pennsylvania Republican Rick Santorum (search) is now apologizing for calling Democratic rhetoric, "the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942 saying 'I'm in Paris, how dare you invade me.'"

Santorum says, "Referencing Hitler was meant to dramatize the principle of an argument, not to characterize my Democratic colleagues." Santorum's remarks come two months after West Virginia Democrat Robert Byrd compared Republican tactics to a Nazi power-play, saying, "Hitler never abandoned the cloak of legality...instead, he turned the law inside out and made illegality legal. And that's what the nuclear option seeks to do."

Pink Slip

A Maryland official in charge of nominating circuit court judges has been fired after posting racist remarks on the Internet last week. William Duvall (search) wrote in his weblog that federal immigration authorities looking to convert a former boot camp into a detention facility for immigrants "wanted to turn the place into a warehouse for illegal female wetbacks."

Duvall initially argued that his comments should not be construed as a racial slur, but then later apologized. In removing Duvall from office, Maryland Governor Robert Ehrlich (search) said, "Those words, those thoughts are unacceptable, bottom line, no rejoinder, just unacceptable."

A Bird... A Plane... A Billboard?

The Federal Aviation Administration (search) is taking steps to make sure that space remains the final but unreachable frontier for advertisers, as the FAA moved to ban billboards in space. The agency claims large objects placed in a low orbit around the earth would appear from here to be as large as the moon and could easily be seen without a telescope. Regulators also complain that big, bright ads could hinder astronomers. A law banning "obtrusive" ads in space is already on the books, but the FAA is asking for a change in its regulations to give the body the power to enforce it.

Backers for Hire

A new company located in the world's leading destination for outsourced jobs is now offering to outsource political support. A former Indian politician has launched a rent-a-crowd company to recruit people to cheer at political rallies and he says there's no shortage of recruits.

Claiming that political parties in the country have long paid people under the table to show up for rallies, the company's founder says he just wants to professionalize the process. He offers recruits training and guaranteed wages and promises his political clients a "decent-sized crowd" on demand.

— FOX News' Michael Levine contributed to this report