Thirteen members of Congress, including Sen. Johnny Isakson, bet against stock prices rising as the economy tanked in the fall of 2008, according to an investigation the Wall Street Journal published last week.

Some of these legislators have publicly criticized practices such as short-selling, or betting on a security to decline. In February, Sen. Johnny Isakson (R., Ga.) argued on the Senate floor that "we don't need those speculating in the marketplace to take unfair advantage of the values of equities that are owned by Americans all over this country for the sake of making a buck on a short sale."

Remember the Seinfeld episode where Jerry was trying to remember a woman’s name? What was it? Mulva?

AJC sports columnist Jeff Schultz has an item about Team Isakson’s similar faux pas at a party for Braves manager Bobby Cox.

Another blog post that made me laugh out loud today (hat tip to Georgia Liberal): Someone appears to have hacked into pastor, family man and mayoral candidate Charlie Maddox’s Facebook page.

Facebook. Twitter. E-mail.

Michael Thurmond trails U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson by 15 points, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released today.

The poll has Isakson beating Thurmond 51 percent to 35 percent, with 6 percent favoring another candidate and 8 percent undecided.

It’s still early, but these numbers are not good for Thurmond. Any time an incumbent is polling over 50 percent, he’s tough to beat.

The poll also shows that 60 percent of Georgians want to repeal the new health care law and only 41 percent approve of President Barack Obama. That’s good news for Isakson.

The watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington named Sonny Perdue one of its 11 most corrupt governors today.

CREW cited the following, shall we say, lapses in judgement:

• Exploiting loopholes in his own executive order to accept valuable gifts from lobbyists, including a $2.400 plane ride to a NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

• Illegally accepting $22,000 in campaign contributions from his wife’s company.

• Striking a convoluted deal to buy Florida land from a political supporter to take advantage of a federal tax break, then signed a similar state tax break into law and reaped the benefit.

• Squashing a consumer investigation into Bill Heard Enterprises, the Columbus Chevrolet dealer that abruptly went bankrupt in 2008 after the subprime loans it offered customers turned sour.

Sen. Johnny Isakson ended any speculation today that his health problems would prevent him from seeking re-election.

Team Johnny announced this afternoon that the senator will qualify at the state Capitol at 11 a.m. Monday. The qualifying period begins at 9 a.m. Monday and runs through noon Friday.

Several people close to state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond have told me he has already made up his mind to do it. An official announcement will come tomorrow afternoon.

Thurmond is a long shot, but if any Democrat can win this race, it’s him. He’s the best stump speaker in the state, he talks authoritatively about jobs, he has a proven ability to turn out the black vote, and he’ll have strong financial support both here and in Washington, D.C. Win or lose, he will help the presumptive nominee for governor, Roy Barnes, as well as Democrats running down-ballot.

From Team Isakson:

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., was released from Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta on Friday after having been being admitted earlier this week for treatment of an irregular heartbeat and a blood clot in his leg.

“Senator Isakson is doing very well and we are sending him home to continue his recovery. He will be coming in for regular follow-ups so we can monitor his progress," said Dr. Charles Brown III, Isakson’s cardiologist.

Isakson, 65, was admitted to Piedmont Hospital on Monday, March 29, after doctors found an irregular heartbeat during a follow-up doctor appointment to check his progress in recovering from a bacterial infection that sent Isakson to Northside Hospital for four days last week.

On the eve of Senate Democrats finally passing health care reform, Georgia Republicans are calling for an investigation into the deal that made it happen.

States are required to match federal funding for Medicaid, the health-care program for the poor and disabled. The health care bill would make people who earn up to 133 percent of the (very low) federal poverty line, costing states millions of dollars (federal officials have pledged to make up the difference, although that’s not part of the current legislation).

Sen. Ben Nelson ripped open his Christmas card Saturday and found millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements for his home state of Nebraska. In Majority Leader Harry Reid's envelope was a 60th vote for health care reform.

But when Democratic leaders played Santa for Nelson, they also handed Republicans a gift-wrapped issue to use in the health care debate.

Sen. Johnny Isakson: “Isakson also criticized the lack of transparency as the legislation was drafted and the backroom deals that Democratic Leader Reid, D-Nev., made with certain Senate Democrats in order to secure their votes on his health care proposal.

Sens. Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss voted against supporting the troops before they voted for it.

Georgia’s two Republican senators issued a news release over the weekend about a $636 billion defense spending bill the Senate passed Friday night.

“(W)e have the best trained, most professional, most effective, and best led military in the world and they deserve our unfailing support,” Chambliss said. “That is why I voted in favor of this bill.”

“While I do not agree with everything in this bill, this funding is critical to ensuring that our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to protect our homeland and continue the fight for freedom around the world,” Isakson said.

Sen. Johnny Isakson is making two stops in Athens today. He’ll be talking to Dawgs for Israel at 2 p.m. at the Miller Learning Center, then to the Athens Area Association of Realtors at 3:30 p.m. at its Meriweather Drive office. Presumably, he’ll address foreign policy and the housing market.

Saturday, Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, is tailgating at the law school quad beginning at 9:30 a.m. Democratic gubernatorial candidate DuBose Porter will be out there, too, in front of the library.

At 11 a.m., former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee – now a Fox News commentator – will be signing books at the Alps Road Border’s.

So have a couple of drinks with Jack and DuBose, get your copy of Huckabee’s Christmas book signed, then head over to the game.