***SCROLL FOR UPDATES***

A Drudge Exclusive to good/weird not to pass on in it's entirety:

HILLARY CLINTON, MCCAIN HELD VODKA-DRINKING CONTEST Fri Jul 28 2006 19:19:50 ET

On a congressional trip to Estonia, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton astonished her traveling companions by suggesting the group do what one does in the Baltics: hold a vodka-drinking contest!

Delighted, the leader of the overseas delegation, Sen. John McCain, quickly agreed, the NEW YORK TIMES is planning to report on Saturday.

The after-dinner game went so well -- memories are a bit hazy on who drank how much. McCain later told people how unexpectedly fun he found Hillary to be.

TIMES reporter Anne Kornblut has filed a story on the curious relationship between Hillary and John McCain, newsrooms sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.

"One of the guys," is the way McCain describes her.

NYT TIMES editors plan a front page placement of Kornblut's report.

Clinton and McCain have developed an amiable relationship.

They worked together, both on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on the issue of global warming. But as the 2008 presidential campaign begins to take shape, with McCain and Clinton at the top of the polls for their parties' nominations, they are increasingly doing things that underscore their differences.

"But the interplay between the two senators -- both celebrities, both self-styled centrists, both with compelling personal narratives and a knack for infuriating their own parties' bases -- remains intriguing as they navigate the early phase of a presidential race with an eye toward conceivably running against one another."

Developing...

I think I'll wait until the full story rolls in before I comment much on this, but what are these two thinking? First of all, why are two rather likely opponents in the 2008 presidential election partying together? Second, since when does Hillary being "one of the guys" become a breaking news story? Isn't that just stating the obvious (rimshot please for my lame cheapshot "Hillary is a lesbian" joke)?!

Again, I'd like to wait until the full story comes out before I say a whole lot about this, but I have to assume Hillary isn't to pleased by McCain's comments, in a week she's trying to "feel like a woman" after some whacked out lib sculpted a "presidential" bust of her (h/t Expose the Left). (see more via Michelle Malkin and HotAir).

Note to artist: Generally a "presidential" bust would imply that the bust is of a president or former president, or I'd even stretch to say a likely future president, but as we know, Hillary is unelectable. Sure, she may get the Dem nomination, and I'm praying she will, but she won't be the POTUS is 2008 or ever.

***UPDATE***
Drudge is now linking to this NY Times article which explains that this Estonia trip actually took place 2 years ago. It's inclusion is just a drop in the bucket of this "buddy" tale of Hillary and McCain. There are much grosser parts:

It was during their joint trip to Iraq in late February 2005 that Mr. McCain and Mrs. Clinton appeared via satellite on “Meet the Press,” an appearance that put their civility on display. When Mr. Russert asked Mr. McCain at the end of the interview whether he thought Mrs. Clinton would make a good president, Mrs. Clinton came to his rescue, saying: “Oh, we can’t hear you, Tim!”

“Yeah, you’re breaking up,” Mr. McCain added, laughing. But then he said: “I happen to be a Republican and would support, obviously, a Republican nominee, but I have no doubt that Senator Clinton would make a good president.”

Asked the same question about him, Mrs. Clinton replied without skipping a beat: “Absolutely.”

What is going on here?

Philippe Reines, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, said: “They are colleagues who have worked and traveled together on issues of interest to both, such as support for our military and global warming, and they agree to disagree on issues such as requiring greater scrutiny of foreign government ownership of our ports.”

But Mr. Reines said Mrs. Clinton’s advisers had not noticed any recent changes in her relationship with Mr. McCain, and he declined to elaborate on the rounds of vodka.

“What happens in Estonia stays in Estonia,” Mr. Reines said.

What is this, a friggin' frat house?! What person in real life really says that? And what person finds that to be a good enough subject changer when we're talking about elected officials?

On the other hand, I might be happier that they not tell us what went on, because I'm sick to my stomach enough simply based on what that statement implies.