DC Scene This Week: Metros crash and Obama digs the ghazal

A horrific scene on the Metro tracks–we never did trust the Red Line–and more Iran-related discomfort hit the District this week. But you knew about that already.

A few more politics-heavy happenings in DC and beyond:

As the Uighers are settling in to their new happy island home, the latest to be released from Gitmo's jaws is Abd al Rahim Abdul Rassak, who before spending 7 years being tortured in Guantanamo after spending 18 months as a captive of…al-Queda. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon said that the case of U.S. officials "defies common sense." Welcome to NO SHIT UNIVERSITY, we would like to offer you a FULL FUCKING RIDE. [Wonkette reports]

Oh, the power of poetry to open doors:  Obama scores points in Pakistan with his self-professed love of Pakistani cuisine and Urdu poetry. I guess I can forgive him that awful Elizabeth Alexander reading at Inauguration.  [Politico reports]

Legalize it! Massachustts rep Barney Frank introduced two pieces of legislation to the House, one for medicinal and one for recreational marijuana. Basically all it's asking is to get the Feds out of it, whether for states to experiment with medical marijuana or to reduce federal penalties. Still, it's a start. [Huff Po reports]

The Senate would like to apologize for that whole slavery thing in a unanimous measure it will now be sending to the House. That one never fails to get me. In 100 years will the German government be passing legislation to say "gee we're sorry" one more time to the Jews for the Holocaust? And when do the Native Americans get their apology written in to the books? And what exactly are these politicans apologizing for, and for whom? And finally, what difference will it make?!?! [The DC Feed reports]

(Meanwhile, the Univeristy of Virginia still barely acknowledges that is was virtually built by slaves. But that's another story.)