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* Everyone wants to have dinner with Condi, but no one wants Bush’s sloppy seconds. [Akron Beacon Journal] MORE »

• Washington Whispers: Howard Dean to push “Democratic values” to voters; DNC pollster: “This is the opening for a sea change.”. . . GOP pollster finds discontent among Bush’s base with his foreign policy. . . George Allen seen as early ‘08 frontrunner. . . Antonin Scalia decries the use of foreign law to decide domestic cases. . . Republicans see viable presidential campaign from Hillary. . . Hurricane response boosts Haley Barbour’s ‘08 odds. [USN&WR]
• Inside the Beltway: Buchanan: “George W. Bush is in big trouble, and so are we.”. . . Coulter receives $5,000 honor from the American Compass. . . Helen Thomas goes on Bill Maher’s HBO show. [WT]
• Inside Politics: Clinton criticizes the media for not being skeptical of politicians and says Democrats need to take a stand: “[W]e basically let political ads turn every player in this drama into a two-dimensional cartoon instead of a three-dimensional person.” [WT]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Scooter Libby tried doing tequila shots with Maureen Dowd at 2003 Bloomberg party; The New Yorker has excerpted the sex scenes from his 1996 novel. . . Laura Bush gives April Ryan an hour-long tour of the White House family quarters after a “softball interview”. . . NPR’s Noah Adams mistakenly announces the indictment of NPR’s Libby Lewis. [NYDN]
• Cindy Adams: Helen Thomas says Scooter Libby would not act without Cheney’s permission. . . Did Cheney cancel a hunting trip because of traffic complaints? [NYP]

• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Karl Rove has been suffering with kidney stones for weeks. . . Terry McAuliffe is writing a memoir. [NYDN]
• Names & Faces: Paul Wolfowitz, Queen Noor, Karl Rove join the Bush family on Washington’s “most invited” list. [WP]
• Page Six: Scenes from the Christopher Hitchens-George Galloway debate. Galloway: “What you have witnessed is a phenomenon, the first metamorphosis in natural history of a butterfly back into a slug… and the one thing a slug leaves behind it is a trail of slime.”. . . Joke circulating on the internet: “Q: What is George W. Bush’s position on Roe vs. Wade? A: He really doesn’t care how people get out of New Orleans.”. . . Bill Maher: “Michael Brown, the head of FEMA has been relieved of his command. He has been asked to return to Washington immediately. He is expected to arrive in about a week.” [NYP, NYP]
• Rush & Molloy: Tony Blair and posse dined at SoHo House in New York. [NYDN]