Now that the Washington Post no longer practices journalism, it can eschew standard editorial practices, such as having its staff book critic review a new book, for wackier PR flourishes, like having one semi-famous Democrat and one semi-famous Republican each write very predictable reviews of an insanely polarizing Republican politician’s new book. Today, the Post’s “liberal” review of Going Rogue came from Ana Marie Cox, who “cannot claim to have completely read ‘Going Rogue,’” but still thought it sucked. It’s more than understandable. But the Weekly Standard’s priggish Matthew Continetti did read the book for his conservative review, which is brilliant beyond all measure. MORE »

ALUMNI REPORT: Original Wonkette editor Ana Marie Cox (Class of ‘04-’06) and editor-after-that Alex Pareene (Class of ‘06-’07) have exciting new programming you should know about: Ms. Cox now hosts the Air America radio show The Inside Story (Saturdays at 9AM and Sundays at noon) while Mr. Pareene is now the curator of Everyone Is Trying To Kill You at True/Slant.

It was quite the star-studded affair in Washington D.C. Saturday evening for the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, perhaps the District’s biggest social night of the year. This is the one where journalists and the politicos they cover congregate in an overt celebration of their inappropriate friendships — you know, the ones that caused the Iraq War. All of America can drink to that! Obviously the public-at-large wouldn’t care about a journalism party — they are not for the soft-at-heart, or people who have lives — if it weren’t for the WHCD’s other strange attraction, the liberal Hollywood Movie Star guests! Your Wonkette’s associate editor and videographer/Polaroidist Liz Glover donned our best church clothes Saturday to witness the proceedings, and all we got were strange memories and a wretched purple umbrella that says “Bloomberg.” The troubling story, below! MORE »

Hey, remember back in the day four million years ago when a gal named Ana Marie Cox edited this humble publication, and she followed, outed, and interviewed a Hill aide who went by the name “Washingtonienne” and who had lots of anal sex and other kinds of sex that she wrote about on her blog called Washingtonienne? Yes, those were more innocent days when something as simple as a young heterosexual woman having sex with a variety of males could set the world on fire. Let’s take a trip down memory lane…a trip that ends on the Straight Talk Express! MORE »

The Washington DC Improv comedy club held its 12th annual “Funniest Celebrity in Washington” fundraiser last night, where politicians, TV personalities, local cultural aesthetes and ex-Wonkette editors (Mary Cox or whatever, as well as Pareene this year) give stand-up comedy an awkward try. Unsurprisingly, the winner was Onion assistant editor Joseph Randazzo, followed by Sen. Arlen Specter (video above, via PennLive) in second and Cox lady in third. Randazzo had all sorts of jo–

WTF ARLEN SPECTER WON SECOND IN A COMEDY CONTEST?? MORE »

There was a party Friday night for Reason magazine Senior Editor Brian Doherty’s new book Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement. The over-partied duo of Liz Gorman and Intern Nick were given strict instructions to play nice with the Libertarians, while doing reconnaissance on the hot new Reason offices near Dupont Circle.

Your photo gallery is right here and your party report, featuring Nick’s wide-eyed fascination with and slight fear of libertarians, is after the jump.

Reason Magazine’s “Radicals For Capitalism” Party Gallery

MORE »

* Heard on the Hill: John Cornyn, John McCain record promos for weekly televised fascism-porn program 24… First 100 Hours of Democratic Regime started yesterday at 1-ish… Rep. David Wu stopped by security at Longworth. [Roll Call]
* Reliable Source: It’s remarkably hard to sue Ana Marie Cox. [WP]
* Yeas and Nays: Terry McAuliffe, Frank Luntz release books… Stupid congressional college football wacky betting shit… New member pins for 110th Congress are RED. [Examiner]
* Rush & Molloy: Some Repubs doubt Rudy Giuliani will actually run for president, because he might not want to stop making lots of money. [NYDN]

Legal scholars and D.C. perverts are very excited that the “Washington sex blog” lawsuit will actually go to trial. Hooray! MORE »

Spanking fetishist and former Jessica Cutler-fucker Robert Steinbuch just likes suing people. He likes it so much that he’s filed two suits against Cutler and asked to add Wonkette Emerita Ana Marie Cox to both. He briefly wanted to add your current Wonkette editors too (for calling him a spanking fetishist), but was eventually dissuaded. Unfortunately, Original Wonkette hasn’t gotten off so lightly, as a court document from yesterday shows: MORE »

Sadly, neither of these two men are nominated.

FishbowlDC, scraping a barrel even we are scared to open, is currently holding a competition to find the “hottest” journalists in Washington D.C. (it’s not often we use the scare quotes around a word other than “journalist” when talking about this crowd, but desperate times and all that). You are asked to select which candidate is the least unappealing, in two categories by gender. We don’t have a dog in this fight (though Original Wonkette and Liz Gorman, Intrepid Girl Reporter are both nominated — and we’re sure they’re both thrilled to be the targets of your gin-soaked, middle-aged lust), but we do feel that we’d be lax in our duty if we didn’t start documenting the race itself — starting with a brilliant self-promotional email, sent out not minutes after polls opened. It’s after the jump.

MORE »

Given the amount of e-mail we get asking when Ana Marie Cox will “come back to save Wonkette,” we’ve gathered that feelings about this blog’s founding editor run strong. Many of the comments about her new job at Time.com were positive. Several were not. In the spirit of rewarding bad behavior, here’s the best of those. MORE »