* Names & Faces: Barbara Bush skipped the WHCA dinner. [WP]
* Page Six: Harvey Weinstein, MTV exec John Sykes, and Madisan Square Garden owner Jim Dolan are collaborating on Clinton’s 60th birthday party. . . Al Gore: “If I had half the communications skills of Karenna, I’d be halfway through my second term right now.” [NYP]
* Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Ludacris chilled with Antonin Scalia. [NYDN]
* Fox 411: Jason Binn threw a Capitol File party opposite the Bloomberg bash; Clooney, Rove, Albright made appearances. [Fox News]
* Heard on the Hill: Rep. John Sweeney (R-N.Y.) defends his participation in a frat party. . . Julia Thorne, first wife of John Kerry, dies of cancer. [Roll Call]
* Rush & Molloy: Pataki will launch his presidential campaign this week. [NYDN]
* Inside Politics: Powell asked for more troops to be sent to Iraq. [WT]

* Heard on the Hill: Fitness instructor at the Sports Club/LA makes anti-Bush remarks during a class attended by Jenna Bush and Henry Hager, who later complained. . . Celebrities attending the Correspondents dinner: Tiki Barber, Maura Tierney, Ken Mehlman, Joe Wilson, Valerie Plame, Peter Pace, Michael Strahan, James Denton, Isaiah Washington, Naomi Judd, Morgan Fairchild, Ludacris, and Anna Kournikova. . . Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute distributes “Coming Out Toolkit” to party officials and activists; Zogby poll finds that 74% of Americans “would ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ continue to vote for an incumbent politician who shares their views if they later found out that person was gay or lesbian.” [Roll Call]
* Inside the Beltway: Founder of the National Defense Council Foundation warned Karl Rove in 2002 about the dire consequences of invading Iraq. [WT]
* Rush & Molloy: Sen. Kerry and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg attend book party for Sen. Kennedy, but Clinton steals the attention. [NYDN]
* Page Six: Mickey Kaus accuses The New York Times of puffery for writing a “PR-perfect” story about Bill Clinton and Ron Burkle. [NYP]

(Wow, this “blogging” thing has really jumped the shark — just as the expession “jumped the shark” has jumped the shark. As has the gimmick of excessive meta-ness. Forget Rumsfeld, we’re going to submit our resignations now…) MORE »

* Washington Whispers: Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy complains about making six figures: “We are patronized when we meet judges from England, the European Union, or Malaysia, whose salaries double that of ours. They say, ‘We’re so sorry about your salaries.’”. . . Kerry’s PAC has raised $1.1m in the past three months. . . Ted Kennedy is “pretty close” to Margaret Spellings. . . George Allen claims he cuts his own grass. [USN&WR]
* Inside Politics: Kerry says his biggest mistake was using federal financing after the convention: “I think the most important thing would have been to spend more money, if we could have, on the advertising and responding to some of the attacks.”. . . Boehner is optimistic for GOP chances in ‘06. [WT]
* Inside the Beltway: Joe Klein is re-releasing his book, “Politics Lost: How American Democracy was Trivialized by People Who Think You’re Stupid.” [WT]
* Liz Smith: Sandra Bernhard on the Bush twins: “You think those girls abstain?” [NYP]

We love all the weird scientific-studies-with-political-implications that are Richard Morin’s stock-in-trade (see links collected below). In today’s Post, citing a study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, he informs us: MORE »

This week’s collection of celebrity sightings is a little disappointing; we’ve seen better around here. Are you all too busy enjoying college basketball, warm weather, and cherry blossoms, leaving you without time to keep your editors informed of the comings and goings of famous people? Please don’t forget to email us with your sightings, with “Wonk’d” or “Sighting” in the subject line (as well as the name of the spotted celeb).

After the jump: Patti LaBelle, in a purple fur; John King and Gheorghe Muresan, participating in the March Madness; and a bunch of senators on planes.

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Today’s edition of Wonk’d comes with a pretty picture. First, the sighting:

On Wednesday [3/22] I saw Kimora Lee Simmons (Russell Simmons’s wife) in her SUPER GOD DAMN OBNOXIOUS “tour bus” (what the fuck is she touring for??). Her “job” is to make sure Russ gets plenty of BJs, that her breast implants are replaced and upgraded every couple of years, and she gets enough publicity for marrying a rich black dude… But here’s the kicker: an official US govt. black SUV (license plate USSS9) was escorting her from downtown down M street to the Four Seasons Hotel!!! Your tax dollars at work, folks! Is this a great fucking country or what???

And now, the picture:

Finally, an addendum from this reader:

Turns out she’s on a ‘book-signing’ tour for her new book, ‘Fabulosity.’ (As if she can or even has to read or write!! More brainless bimbos taking up causes they can’t even pronounce. Gotta love it.)

After the jump, additional celeb sightings (but sans pictures). Remember: please continue to send us your sightings, with “Wonk’d” or “Sighting” in the subject line. Thanks everyone!

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Yesterday’s NYT Magazine contained an interesting interview with Markos Moulitsas Z

Ann Coulter, our favorite self-destructing conservative pundit, recently spoke before a large, somewhat unruly crowd at Indiana University in Bloomington. Her audience thinned over time, as security personnel removed more and more of its members: MORE »

* Reliable Source: Sen. Brownback (R-Kan.) says his comments about gay marriage and “fruits” were misinterpreted by Rolling Stone. . . Artist Erin Crowe, “cheerfully obsessed” with Alan Greenspan, paints his portrait on live on CNBC for charity auction. [WP]
* Inside the Beltway: Sen. Kerry (D-Mass.) says Democrats “didn’t bring out the [expletive] knives” on Samuel Alito. [WT]

* Senate votes 72 to 25 to hold roll call on Samuel Alito’s confirmation today; Sen. Kerry defends his filibuster attempt. [WP, NYT, LAT, WT, USAT]
* Bush will promote alternative fuels and nuclear power in tonight’s State of the Union. Senior official: “What’s interesting about this discussion is that he isn’t talking about oil exploration at home. Nobody wants to get bogged down in those arguments again.” [NYT, USAT]
* 76% of Americans deem health care “an absolute priority” for ‘06 and only 28% support maintaining the current force in Iraq, according to new WSJ-NBC poll. Bush’s approval rating is steady at 39% as leadership and honesty numbers have fallen over the past year; 63% say Democrats lack a “clear agenda.” [WSJ, MSNBC]
* Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) questions Attorney General Alberto Gonzales‘ statements on warrentless eavesdropping. During his confirmation, Gonzales said the practice was “not the policy of the agenda of this president” and offered to tell Congress if that changed. [WP]
* Administration official explains White House strategy on Alito: “Any time they are yelling, preaching, lecturing, and you are cool and calm and breathing deep, you are winning. What that means on television sets where the American people are watching this is, you look good and they look bad. It was the central operating premise.” [NYT]

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