Do you know who watches The McLaughlin Group? If you guessed “Not us,” you’re right! But a certain filthy-jeans-wearing writer of party anthems named Andrew W.K. counts himself among those who waken every Sunday to the dulcet tones of old people screaming at each other. And now he has made a musical song based on Pat Buchanan and John McLaughlin’s crazy rantings! MORE »

• Heard on the Hill: Informal poll asks whose job is hardest — George Allen’s or John Kerry’s flacks. “You expect Allen to surround himself with thugs, and you expect Kerry to trip over his own words”… Blogger Allen’s thugs beat up will be an Air America reporter… Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent out “300 packages of GooGoo Cluster candies across the country to Republican incumbents and candidates.” [Roll Call]

• Reliable Source: Gretchen Mol to star in DC-based political intrigue flick… Trick-or-treating at John McLaughlin’s house sucks. [WP]
• Yeas and Nays: NRSC leading the “funny websites” campaign., Dems play catch-up… George Will’s son is interviewing with the Nats. [Examiner]

* Reliable Source: Rep. Cynthia McKinney’s “original” statement about her run-in with a Capitol Hill officer said, “It is… a shame that while I conduct the country’s business, I have to stop and call the police to tell them that I’ve changed my hairstyle so that I’m not harassed at work.” McKinney has also noted that white officers are more likely than black officers to ask for her identification: “Some things never change — that’s what Tupac said.”. . . Bush called Bo Derek in 2000 to say, “Bo, let me just say that you and Josh [Bolten] together are a perfect 15.”. . . ABC is shooting a pilot for a show about “young hottie D.C. bureaucrats.” [WP]
* Inside the Beltway: Mayor of Bay St. Louis, Miss. attends Correspondents’ Association Dinner wearing shorts to display solidarity with hurricane victims. . . Donna Brazile as Cheney walks by: “Should I duck?”. . . John McLaughlin orders milk at the Morton’s bar, but has fruit punch instead. [WT]

No, that’s not Wonkette standing behind Joe Pantoliano. [WP/Lucian Perkins]

Truth be told, our night wasn’t that wild — more like reading Emily Dickinson than hanging out with Paris Hilton. But at least we got out of the apartment!

Last night, Wonkette (or one-half of Wonkette — the half of us with a tux) attended the Congressional Correspondents dinner, sponsored by the Washington Press Foundation. The swanky, black-tie event, held at the Ritz-Carlton on M Street, was attended by numerous “famous-for-D.C.” types, and even a few “famous-for-famous” folks — like Fran Drescher!

Slate described the event as “a B-list affair compared with the Gridiron and White House Correspondents Association dinners”; but we still had ourselves a jolly good time. Although Marcia Davis of the Post urged them not to give up their day jobs, the dinner speakers — Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) — were actually pretty funny. But our assessment may have been colored by the “soft bigotry of low expectations” — as well as too much red wine…

Of course, copious consumption of booze helped us through the evening. And did we mention that The Nanny was in the house?

Our detailed coverage appears after the jump.

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