Wonkette

In another desperate effort to become the awful thing they cover, White House Correspondents Association officials are now just lying for the hell of it. WHCA president Steve Scully now claims he didn’t tell 1970s sensation Rich Little to take it easy on Bush. But then Scully says he did, but only in a coded way that was still just as clear. In other words, the WHCA will not repeat the mistakes of last year! The dinner will return to its stated mission: a reacharound bullshit festival where everyone at the White House and in the Washington press corps can spend a pleasant evening without pretending they’re “adversaries.” MORE »

* Ancient Canadian comic to host White House correspondents’ dinner — thanks, Stephen Colbert! [E&P]
* Attack on Iran, come she will. [Arab Times]
* Don’t ever change, The Note. You’re perfect just as you are. [Think Progress]
* Mark Warner can quit campaigning anytime, really, he just likes it. [Hotline on Call]
* John McCain’s two favorite things: “straight talk” and when Wolf swirls his tongue. [Media Matters]
* Return of the “The Fairness Doctrine” could force all broadcast news to resemble Fox. [Captain's Quarters]
* War on drugs: still the undisputed champion of unwinnable wars. [Hit & Run]

After a White House Correspondents Dinner marred by a speech that was actually, tragically funny, the WHCA has taken steps to ensure that never again will the C-SPAN-watching public accidentally crack a smile. This year’s dinner guest of honor: Rich Little.

Yeah, the impressionist known for his humorous takes on Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Johnny Carson, and hopefully some people who aren’t dead.

C-SPAN’s Steve Scully, president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, said that this year, he wanted to pick someone who hadn’t previously headlined the event. The possibility of selecting Little dawned on him in November when watching Little do impersonations on “The Late Show with David Letterman.”

We’ve embedded that Letterman appearance after the jump, so you can skip the dinner. If you remember the ’70s, you can skip this post.

Little to Head WHCA Big Night [Examiner]

MORE »

* CIA Director Porter Goss called it quits this week, and didn’t make up a reason for leaving. Not even the standard “time with my family” excuse, which of course makes us think it had something to do with the hookers or the gambling and payola. Anyway, he’s back on the gulf shore already, and everyone is waiting to hear who the next shady character to take over the job is going to be. MORE »

* Where the hell is the Stephen Colbert video from the WHCA dinner? That video is now available on “public service” C-SPAN’s website for $24.95. Thanks cable industry! [Boing Boing] MORE »

* Republicans in Congress settle on $70B tax-cut package as proposal for $100 gas vouchers withers; Bush “implored lawmakers to deliver an agreement he could tout.” [WP, WP, NYT]
* Immigration rallies apparently made little influence on Congress. [NYT]
* Democrats aim to pick up House seats in the Northeast. [NYT]
* Bush may have sung a Spanish version of the national anthem at a campaign event. [WP]
* House votes on lobbying reform today. [USAT]
* Administration is testing “antisatellite weapons.” [NYT]
* Democrats threaten to filibuster one, maybe two, conservative judicial nominations. [WP]
* Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) is on a one-man mission to eliminate earmarks from the emergency spending bill. [WP]
* The Supreme Court under John Roberts has become more contemplative and patient. [NYT]
* Blogosphere bloviates about Stephen Colbert’s performance. [NYT]

Yesterday we posted this photo of RNC chair Ken Mehlman, dancing up a storm at the Bloomberg afterparty: MORE »

* Under the Dome: Justice Antonin Scalia drunk Corona and mingled with actress Doris Roberts at the Bloomberg party before looking “uncomfortable” with Ludacris. . . Meanwhile, Ludacris doesn’t care about Steve Scully. . . Anna Kournikova and Drew Lachey were among the no-shows. [The Hill]
* Heard on the Hill: “A longtime aide to a senior Democratic Senator” stole George Clooney’s place card. . . Cartoonist/author Anthony Haden-Guest fell asleep during Stephen Colbert’s routine. . . Court TV is opening a D.C. bureau. [Roll Call]
* Reliable Source: Bush’s low approval rating equal good business for impersonator Steve Bridges: “If they’re too high, people get nervous: ‘Is it okay to make fun of the president?’”. . . Bloomberg reporter Janine Zacharia scores a private lunch with Condoleezza Rice and Tiki Barber at the State Department. [WP]
* Page Six: Blind item asks, “Which Democratic party moneybags is getting divorced because he diddled with a candidate’s daughter? To cap it off, his wife, the mother of his children then had a go with her personal trainer (a woman).” [NYP]
* Rush & Molloy: Ken Mehlman: “I’m not gay. But those stories did a number on my dating life for six months.” [NYDN]

We’ve given the WHCD festivities lavish treatment in these pages (click here, scroll down). But our coverage up to this point has omitted one of the biggest pleasures of the D.C. party circuit: MORE »

* 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]