Wonkette

Aaron Brown was a kindly gent who hosted the CNN many moons ago. Every night Americans would drift off to sleep as he reviewed the morning papers with a dumb little rooster crowing in the background. And we all loved it because he was Aaron Brown, a very nice man, and then Anderson “Silver Fox” Cooper threw him under the bus and took his show. It looks like Aaron learned his lesson because now he has gray hair and no glasses, just like Anderson Cooper. So what’s he up to now, besides adorably swearing his face off for Observer reporters? MORE »

Hour two of the YouTube Debate continues here, from here. More videos, more videos now, we want more videos, blah blah Paultards. MORE »

Why are you reading this? Why? Do you think my liveblogging, or anyone else’s, can possibly bring more funny than Republicans being asked dumbshit questions by inanimate objects — and then responding to them?? Just get out of here. Shimmy on now! My role is futile; I am a pawn among the divine, celestial humor forces that aligned to make this dream-debate a reality.

Joking! I will haz funny! I’ll make at least a billion zillion anal sex jokes!! Oh now you’ll stay? Eh, works for me. Start sharing drinking game suggestions right about… now. MORE »

* Heard on the Hill: Airline travel brings out the worst in all of us…”The Devil Wears Prada” comes to Washington by way of Jeri Thompson’s antics…Stephen Colbert WILL get to know your district, unless its one of the 80 he forgot…What would a tour of Minneapolis be without a trip to the now infamous airport bathroom? [Roll Call]
* Yeas and Nays: Connie Lawn wants you to say hello to friendly, gentler motorcades…Supreme Court Justice David Souter never recovered from the recount ruling…Museum takes in former Rep. Earl Hutto lime-green 1979 Oldsmobile…New Zagat guide is out…Ann Coulter is asking for it–a fatwa, that is…Presidential hopefuls find their books going for pennies on Amazon…No widowed Wiccans allowed…Distillers try their hand at George Washington’s whiskey recipe…The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad a fortress of solitude, shopping and cinema. [Examiner]
* Under the Dome: Hurricane or not, Mitch McConnell enjoyed his time off…Sen Tom Harkin serves it up for ‘08 candidates…A call for resignation has less to do with the severity of the sin and more to do with the party persuasion of the governor. [The Hill]
* Shenanigans: Bush leaves through the side door…We’re the reason Larry Craig had to resort to an airport bathroom…The Oprah-Obama bash is only days away!…Gossip is a lifelong addiction…Larry Craig: a self-proclaimed romantic. [Politico]
* The Sleuth: Idaho men are tough and rugged with their tight jeans and tighter faces. [WP]
* Page Six: omeone’s getting fired at CNN after losing the only copy of Anderson Cooper’s Hurricane Katrina special. [NYP]
* Rush & Molloy: John Edwards does the down-faced dog for Russell Simmons. [NYDN]
* Washington Whispers: “Anything Goes” on the college version of 60 Minutes…Karl Rove finds a new job for the same boss…John Kerry helps out his old friend Leonardo DiCaprio…Bill Richardson won’t give up his SUV, despite his own pleas…Bill Clinton still hiding tapes in his sock drawer…Bush’s cabinet finally gets some pull…House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer goes to the Holy Land, finds the Golden Arches. [USN&WR]

Do you have CNN-YouTube fever? Neither do we. Also, it’s 4 p.m. in the West Coast office and we are, sadly, totally sober. We are opening a bottle right now. MORE »

You’ll notice it’s June, of the year 2007. And yet, we are deep in presidential debate season for an election that will occur two autumns from now. How to keep things interesting? Well, TIME Magazine did choose YOU as the person of the year, so why not let you idiots submit questions to the candidates in the form of, uhh, YouTube videos? MORE »

Fox News tool John Gibson is disgusted by Anderson Cooper’s “news-guy snobbery,” because the handsome CNN anchor keeps reporting on stupid Iraq! MORE »

The tipsters have gotten themselves on the “good” list and uncle Wonk’d has loads of stocking stuffers for an early Christmas. These presents might not be as good as the ones Laura Bush was seen buying, but you get what you pay for. Unwrap a jaywalking John Bolton, an over-caffeinated Katherine Harris, an anatomically correct Anderson Cooper, and an occasionally anonymous Dan Bartlett that comes with elephant sidekick, under the tree.

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The suave secret agent who hosts “Anderson Cooper 360″ by day and kills terrorists at night made a huge impression on University of Buffalo students on Saturday. MORE »

CNN just announced that CIA “intern” Anderson Cooper is being shipped off to Afghanistan for the news channel’s 9/11 extravaganza. MORE »

In her latest attempt to stretch her 15 minutes into a career, Cindy Sheehan’s book “Peace Mom” is coming soon, and it’s sure to thrill right-wing bloggers. Says Radar Online:

In the book, which hits bookstores September 19, the antiwar icon admits she has fantasized about going back in time and killing the infant George W. Bush, thereby preventing the Iraq War.

While we give her props for robbing the war party of its traditional “baby killers” tag, we also have to wonder what the hell is wrong with this woman.

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Turns out the dashing young CNN star and former host of “The Mole” had a very interesting summer job during his Yale years.

Anderson Cooper worked for the CIA.

Following his sophomore and junior years at Yale — a well-known recruiting ground for the CIA — Cooper spent his summers interning at the agency’s monolithic headquarters in Langley, Virginia, in a program for students interested in intelligence work. His involvement with the agency ended there, and he chose not to pursue a job with the agency after graduation, according to a CNN spokeswoman, who confirmed details of Cooper’s CIA involvement to Radar.

Well, isn’t that special?

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• Lebanese author Riad Kassis doesn’t know what to tell his 7-year-old daughter about the “bombs falling in Lebanon.” Slice of Laodicea asks: “Maybe his seven-year-old daughter could sympathize with those Israeli children who have died because of this ongoing terrorist activity.” Burn. [Slice of Laodicea]

• “Some Democrats are privately hoping they lose in November so Pelosi will not get a promotion.” [Red State]
• Nobel Peace Laureate Betty Williams to hundreds of schoolchildren yesterday: “‘Right now, I would love to kill George Bush.’ Her young audience at the Brisbane City Hall clapped and cheered.” [Blogs for Bush]
• “Cases are currently moving through the federal courts that challenge the legality of Bush’s domestic surveillance program and they have the potential to provide the first substantive oversight of spying taking place outside of FISA. Specter’s legislation would make meaningful judicial review virtually impossible - and thus give the Bush administration freedom to operate as they please without having to worry about Congress or the courts stepping in to check their expansion of powers.” Firedoglake provides phone and fax numbers. [Firedoglake]
• CNN organizes Mortal Kombat-style martial arts tournament for Middle East correspondents. Anderson Cooper, Test Your Might! [Eschaton]

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We’ve been reminded that New York’s State Court of Appeals will be reviewing the case for allowing hairdressers to marry each other tomorrow. And while that may seem like a sure thing, there are doubts, because the case is a quagmire composed of a fabulous melange of four separate lawsuits, any of which may torpedo the whole thing. MORE »