The Reuters drink list — courtesy, natch, of a hard-working publicist on the front lines of the Afterparty War — reminded us of something we’d seen before. We couldn’t quite remember at first, but whilst thumbing through our dog-eared copy of Dog Days, debut novel by Wonkette Emerita Ana Marie Cox, there was a sudden flash of recognition. Looks like we’ve got a preemptive parody on our hands: MORE »

Reading today’s Washington Post, we are reminded of a side-by-side comparison of the after-effects of Hurricane Katrina with those of the Chernobyl disaster that was published last September. The authors then pointed out what they felt were extraordinary differences in the area of governmental responses, which are, as quick as we are to work ourselves into a lather over Katrina, perhaps best taken with several thousand grains of salt. MORE »

• Reliable Source: Bono lunched with Bush yesterday. . . Ana Marie Cox on upcoming novel: “I now realize that it’s impossible to create any Washington character without somebody thinking it’s them. I shouldn’t have written a novel, I should have written an index.” [WP]
• Under the Dome: Coburn (R-Okla.) says “it’s ok if the Republicans lose control” in ‘06 and that “Republicans allow the next generation to pay for” their spending. . . Senators enjoy screening of “Good Night and Good Luck.” [The Hill]
• Inside the Beltway: Hillary, Bill Bennett, Bob Bennett, Porter Goss and others will attend tonight’s reception for Louis Freeh. . . Bush, Laura and Nancy Reagan will attend tomorrow’s opening of the Air Force One Pavilion at the Reagan library. [WT]
• Liz Smith: Bush’s “government is simply reeling with rumor. It’s like the old days of Watergate with almost as much at stake.” [NYP]