Sean Penn is expected to formally endorsed Dennis Kucinich at a press conference at San Francisco State University today, joinging the ranks of Larry Flynt and Shirley MacLaine. But whatever may happen or not happen there, it might be totally eclipsed by the actor/director’s latest rant: “It’s been an odd week,” Penn wrote in today on HuffPo. “For me, a particularly odd week. But that’s another story. So, wait a minute. Iran DOESN’T have nuclear weapon capability??? So, who are we gonna bomb? I want to bomb somebody!” Hey, me too!

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Last week Rev. Al Sharpton said he likes fried chicken , but has yet endorsed Barack Obama. Jesse Jackson has endorsed Barack Obama, but also runs around supporting John Edwards. It’s a mad, bad and dangerous world of civil rights endorsements. But who needs Al and Jesse when you’ve got Oprah, who is poised to take over the Democratic Party? MORE »

Oprah will up the ante in her continuing quest to fuck Barack Obama, campaigning for him in a three-state (Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina) tour the weekend of Dec. 8 and 9. Hillary Clinton is even more screwed in Iowa now, where she and Barry are polling evenly among lady voters. All he needed was a vagina magnet, and now he’s got one. [CNN, Politico]

* 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]

• Reliable Source: The Bushes gave Kenny Chesney special cowboy boots to commemorate his East Room performance. . . Alberto Gonzales says it’s “unclear” whether his parents entered the country illegally. . . Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) is returning $23,000 to an indicted producer. [WP]
• Under the Dome: James Gandolfini thinks Bush should “reinstate the draft, send 500,000 troops and finish it.”. . . Two members of the Grateful Dead fundraise for Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). . . John Edwards and Jack Kemp join forces to encourage people to save for retirement. [The Hill]
• Heard on the Hill: Euan Blair is no longer a Hill intern, and one question lingers: why? [Roll Call]
• Page Six: Former NJ Gov. Jim McGreevey will be on “Oprah” in the fall. [NYP]

• Reliable Source: Laura Bush makes quick trip to Georgetown Pottery Barn. . . Oprah spotted at D.C. L.A. D.C. gym. [uhm...yeah.] [stupid gym name.]. . Readers try to decipher Richard Clarke’s fictional characters. [WP]
• Cindy Adams: Barbara Streisand reportedly turned down Kennedy Center Honor in anti-Bush move. . . Jeanine Pirro thought to leave Senate race on December 12th. [NYP]
• Rush & Molloy: Jeb Bush is “flattered” by Fidel Castro’s fat joke. [NYDN]
• Lloyd Grove’s Lowdown: Howard Stern on Iraq: “We give Saddam Hussein a nice shave, hand him back his old uniform, and put him back in office. . . This guy was unbelievable.” [NYDN]

• Reliable Source: Barbara and Jenna Bush dine at Dino in Cleveland Park and drink Dolcetto wine. . . Beyonce, surprise guest for Kennedy Center Honors, sand again after most guests left because of technical difficulties the first time. [WP]
• Under the Dome: Town Hall restaurant forced to close at 11:30 because of quirky liquor license. . . Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) “was all smiles” when he met Miss Universe. [The Hill]
• Rush & Molloy: Dick Cheney, Melissa Etheridge, Queen Latifah, Tina Turner, Oprah Winfrey, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Tony Bennett, Kevin Spacey, Kid Rock were among the attendees of the Honors event. [NYDN]