by Frank James

Politico is reporting that syndicated conservative columnist Robert Novak hit a pedestrian this morning during rush hour, then drove off in his black Corvette.

Fortunately, the pedestrian appears to have sustained only minor injuries and was released from the hospital, according to the report which also says Novak was cited by the police.

Novak was chased down by a bicyclist who happened to be partner in a law firm who was pedaling to work when he saw the accident.

Novak told journalists who arrived on the scene that he didn't know he had hit the pedestrian.

"I didn't know I hit him," Novak told reporters from Politico and WJLA on the scene. "He's not dead, that's the main thing." Novak said he was a block away from 18th and K St. NW, where the accident happened, when a bicyclist stopped him and said, "You hit someone." He said he was cited for failing to yield the right of way. (WJLA has video of Novak being interviewed its website. We can't display it in this posting because, alas, we don't have legal rights to it.)

Okay, maybe he didn't see him before he hit him. But there's reason to believe he had a great view of the pedestrian afterwards.

The bicyclist was David Bono, a partner at Harkins Cunningham, who was on his usual bike commute to work at 1700 K St. NW when he saw the accident happen.

As he traveled east on K. Street, crossing 18th, Bono said a "black Corvette convertible with top closed plowed into the guy. The guy is sort of splayed onto the windshield."

by Katie Fretland

When the New Yorker came out with a cartoon on its cover of the Obamas as fist-bumping militants (complete with a burning flag), the blogosphere wondered if the magazine or someone else would come up with a satirical cover of John McCain. Well, Vanity Fair did just now.

The magazine posted a cartoon on its website featuring John McCain holding a walker with one hand and giving the fist bump to a pill-popping (well pill-holding) Cindy McCain. The Constitution burns in the fireplace of the Oval Office while a painting of George W. Bush hangs on the wall.

In a short accompanying article, Vanity Fair speaks of it's "affectionate rivalry" with the New Yorker. (They share a building and play softball against eachother).

"We had our own presidential campaign cover in the works, which explored a different facet of the Politics of Fear, but we shelved it when The New Yorker's became the "It Girl" of the blogosphere," Vanity Fair writes. "Now, however, in a selfless act of solidarity with our downstairs neighbors here at the Condé Nast building, we'd like to share it with you. Confidentially, of course."

by Katie Fretland and updated

The New York Times' Op-Ed section rejected a written piece by Sen. John McCain about the war and suggested an approach for a second draft.

According to the Drudge Report, which first reported the Times' denial of the essay, McCain's essay was a counter argument to an essay by Sen. Barack Obama, which the Times published. Obama's essay advocated a phased redeployment of combat troops.

In McCain's essay, the Arizona senator said he was "dismayed that [Obama] never talks about winning the war--only of ending it. But if we don't win the war, our enemies will. A triumph for the terrorists would be a disaster for us. That is something I will not allow to happen as president. Instead I will continue implementing a proven counterinsurgency strategy not only in Iraq but also in Afghanistan with the goal of creating stable, secure, self-sustaining democratic allies."

Times' Op-Ed page editor David Shipley wrote an e-mail to Michael Goldfarb at the McCain camp with a response to the submitted essay. Shipley served in Bill Clinton's administration from 1995 until 1997 as senior presidential speechwriter and special assistant to the president, according to his profile at the Times website.

This is the e-mail, according to Kate Phillips at the Times' political blog, The Caucus:

by Katie Fretland

It definitely doesn't feature a burning flag or Osama bin Laden like the New Yorker's well-known satirical cover, but the Onion has some fun with the press and Obama, well mostly the press, in this week's edition.

The publication came up with a fictitious article about what the fluffiest of the fluff pieces about the Illinois senator would sound like and what questions the most pro-Obama journalist would ask (For example, "What's your favorite ice cream, really?")

The Onion writes:

Hailed by media critics as the fluffiest, most toothless, and softest-hitting coverage of the presidential candidate to date, a story in this week's Time magazine is being called the definitive Barack Obama puff piece.

"No news publication has dared to barely scratch the surface like this before," columnist and campaign reporter Michael King wrote in The Washington Post Tuesday. "This profile sets a benchmark for mindless filler by which all other features about Sen. Obama will now be judged. Just impressive puff-journalism all around."

In truth, the press has given Obama more coverage consistently since the race narrowed between him and Republican Sen. John McCain, according to the latest numbers from the Project for Excellence in Journalism. For five straight weeks, Obama was the major newsmaker in the majority of election-related articles.

Read the full article entitled "'Time' Publishes Definitive Obama Puff Piece" in the Onion.

by Frank James

It seems like ancient history, the shock heard round the world when Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson's breast during the 2004 Super Bowl in that infamous "wardrobe malfunction."

It certainly was such an affront to the regulators at the Federal Communications Commission whose job in part is to protect Americans from such lewdness that they fined CBS $550,000 for violating FCC indecency standards.

CBS sued and it appears that was a good move because the Philadelphia-based Federal Appeals Court for the Third Circuit ruled today that the FCC was wrong.

The court bought a number of CBS's arguments that the FCC erred.

It agreed with CBS's lawyers by saying the agency appeared to change its enforcement procedures in midstream, resulting in arbitrariness in how the FCC threw the book at CBS.

The FCC, which has long been accused of laxity in enforcing its indecency standards, had essentially ignored for years what it called "fleeting" foulness, like when Bono said at a Golden Globe Awards broadcast that U2's receipt of the award was "(bleeping) brilliant."

By that standard, Jackson's naked breast should have been no big deal since it was about as brief a glimpse of an exposed breast as could be detected by the human eye. The legal record in the case established that her bare ta-ta was exposed for just nine-sixteenths of a second.

by Mark Silva

Many people believe this will be a close election, Conan O'Brien told his late-night guest, Sen. John McCain, early this morning, and the selection of running mates will be very big.

The host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien reminded McCain, the Republican candidate for president, that he has told audiences the vice president has only two duties: Breaking tie votes in the Senate and inquiring daily about the health of the president.

"That job will be very, very important in my'' case, replied McCain, who could become the oldest president elected to a first term - he will be 72 in November and has survived melanoma.

"Maybe twice daily,'' O'Brien suggested. "How is he now?'''

by Frank James

The late Heath Ledger, who by all accounts gives a phenomenal performance as the Joker in the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight" which opens today, does something many Republicans have longed to do. He grabs Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) by the neck and threatens him with a knife.

Well, maybe Republicans haven't wanted to do the knife part, but the rest stands.

Leahy, who as has been widely reported, is a huge Batman fan, has a cameo role as a brave older gentleman who confronts the Joker after the evildoer crashes a swank party.

Reaching deep inside himself, and perhaps doing a little method acting to channel the feelings he has had over the years for President Bush and Vice President Cheney, Leahy doesn't really seem to be acting. He displays the same gruff manner that can often be observed on the Senate floor or in Senate Judiciary Committee which he chairs.

Maybe the next Batman can find a role for Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania who sometimes goes up against Leahy in Judiciary committee sessions. Perhaps Specter could play the Riddler? Just a thought.

Anyway, I predict Cheney who once on the Senate floor told Leahy to commit an anatomically impossible deed on himself, will not only like the scene but replay it constantly once it's on DVD.

by Katie Fretland

Here are some things you might not know about CNN's Larry King.

He grew up in a poor family in Brooklyn. His nickname was "Zeke the Greek the mouthpiece," because of his talkative nature. His father died when he was nine. He married seven times to six women. When he was 65 years old, he discovered he had an adult son he did no know about.

King will explore these personal times in his autobiography, which is planned for publication next year, Weinstein Books announced. The book titled What am I Doing Here? promises to reveal his opinions on the major politicians he has interviewed, who he voted for and what happened with his wives.

The publisher billed the autobiography as King's "most personal and revealing work to date."

King will share his thoughts on George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon. The book will also reveal who King picks for the worst president in history.

Author and Esquire magazine writer Cal Fussman will assist King in writing the book. It is planned for publication around Father's Day 2009.

Our friends at Top of the Ticket have more on Larry King's new book.

by Katie Fretland

The cartoon on the cover of the latest New Yorker magazine depicting Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, as militant radicals drew the ire of the presidential candidates Monday and posed the question of how satirical journalism affects voters during an election season.

The Obama campaign, as well as Republican rival John McCain, civil rights activist Al Sharpton and Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) slammed the cover as offensive. The cover shows a caricature of Obama as a Muslim, standing in the Oval Office with a U.S. flag burning in the fireplace and a painting of Osama bin Laden hanging on the wall. Obama is giving a fist bump to his wife, who is pictured with an Afro hairstyle, wearing military fatigues with a rifle slung over her shoulder.

Former Al Gore spokesman Chris Lehane said the magazine's clear intent is to satirize the false rumors about the Obamas. Among other things, some Obama critics have erroneously claimed he is Muslim. Conservatives also challenged the patriotism of Michelle Obama.

The challenge of the cover is that far fewer people will read the magazine or understand the satire, than those who see the cover on cable TV or in the Interent, Lehane said.

"The reality is that a provocative image will always communicate more effectively with the general public - especially because it lends itself to being projected through various mediums," Lehane said.

"The issue boils down pretty simply. If you are the Obama campaign, would you prefer to be spending this week talking about his Iraq plan, which is their message of the week beginning today, or dealing with the New Yorker visuals, I suspect they would rather be talking about their change plan for Iraq."

Sharpton said the imagery plays to religious and racial bigotries. "It plays to all the ridiculous notions that we hope we are getting out of American politics," he said Monday.

by Katie Fretland and updated

The cover of the new New Yorker magazine depicts a caricature of Sen. Barack Obama as Muslim, standing in the Oval Office with a flag burning in the fireplace and a painting of Osama bin Laden hanging on the wall. He gives a fist bump to his wife, Michelle Obama, who is pictured wearing military fatigues and an automatic rifle slung over her shoulder.

The New Yorker said the cover by Barry Blitt called "The Politics of Fear" is meant to satirize "the use of scare tactics and misinformation in the Presidential election to derail Barack Obama's campaign," according to a press release about the new magazine issue.

The Obama campaign, as well as the campaign of Republican rival John McCain, slammed the cover as offensive:

"The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Sen. Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement, reported by Politico. "But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree."

"We completely agree with the Obama campaign, it's tasteless and offensive," McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said in a statement.

Obama has fought rumors that he is Muslim and that his wife once said a slur on videotape directed toward white people. Conservatives also challenged the patriotism of Michelle Obama. The campaign started a website, fightthesmears.com, aimed at combating those and other rumors.

This summer, FOX News anchor E.D. Hill said the widely-televised fist bump shared by Obama and his wife had been characterized as a "terrorist fist jab." (She apologized and lost her show, though FOX said the network had already planned to replace her show in the lineup.)

A journalist asked Obama about the New Yorker cover during a press availability Sunday in San Diego, according to news reports.

"The upcoming issue of The New Yorker, the July 21 issue, has a picture of you, depicting you and your wife on the cover," said CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic. "Have you seen it? If not, I can show it to you on my computer. It shows your wife Michelle with an Afro and an AK-47 and the two of you doing the fist bump with you in a sort of turban-type thing on top. I wondered if you've seen it or if you want to see it or if you have a response to it?"

Obama shrugged and replied that he had no response.

Other covers by artist Blitt have included Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad on a toilet reading a newspaper and Bush with a feather duster and an apron, while Cheney relaxes in a chair with beer and a cigar.

by Frank James

Sen. John McCain has a well-deserved reputation for easily engaging the members of the national press corps who travel around the country with him.

But that doesn't mean he can't get them all riled up, which he evidently did Wednesday when his campaign held a local-media-only press conference in suburban Pittsburgh.

Andrew Malcolm at the Los Angeles Times' Top of the Ticket blog writes about the situation:

So what happened Wednesday when the newly-directed Straight Talk Express bus of the McCain campaign flew through some Pittsburgh suburbs where, surely by coincidence, an awful lot of Hillary Clinton supporters reside? Well, McCain ditched his national press corps and, instead, awarded five questions to the local media.

But nearly all the national reporters traveling with McCain--including reporters and producers from the major television networks and newspapers--were cooling their heels on McCain's plane, annoyed as the 24/7 focus of their working lives covered topics from Iran's missile tests to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act beyond their earshot.

by Mark Silva

John McCain, who became the first sitting senator to host Saturday Night Live and has sparred with the best of the late-night talk-show hosts, will be reaching deep into the night for a few laughs when he appears on Late Night with Conan O'Brien a week from Friday -- make that early Saturday to be technical.

This will be a return engagement for the senior senator from Arizona -- he has appeared twice before, in 2004 and in 2005 -- but his first appearance on the show as the presumptive presidential candidate of the Republican Party, NBC says.

The show airs at 12:35 to 1:35 am EDT, offering the host a lot of opportunity for gags with the guy who could become the oldest man ever elected to a first term as president, 72 in November, if he wins.

Lorne Michaels is an executive producer of this show -- a trivia note for the senator who kicked off a tradition of senators hosting SNL.

Off course, McCain has made 52 lifetime appearances on the more staid set of NBC's Sunday morning Meet the Press as well.

by Katie Fretland

Howard Wolfson, the former spokesman for Hillary Clinton's failed campaign for president, has joined Fox News Channel as a contributor, Fox announced today.

Wolfson is scheduled to go on air tomorrow.

"Howard was part of the inner working circle of Senator Clinton's campaign and has a unique perspective on just how unconventional this election year already is," said John Moody, executive vice president of news editorial for Fox. "He has proven himself on key campaigns throughout the last decade and is recognized as one of the top communications and political thinkers in the Democratic Party."

Wolfson has a lengthy resume in politics. He was Clinton's senior advisor during her 2000 campaign for Senate and the senior communications strategist for the Democratic National Committee in 2004. He worked on other campaigns, including those of Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), New York City Comptroller Bill Thompson and U.S. Representatives Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Michael Arcuri (D-NY).

Moody said the network is looking forward to benefiting from his insight during and after the campaign season.

by Mark Silva

Considering the range of questions from traveling reporters that the presidential candidates face, and the grilling of moderators on the Sunday morning talk shows, Access Hollywood arrives as a real media vacation.

The syndicated gossip show that normally trades in the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears invited the Obama family over the Fourth of July weekend for a session in Butte, Mon. Not only the junior senator from Illinois and Democratic candidate for president, as the L.A. Times' Top of the Ticket notes, but also wife Michelle and children Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

Perhaps it's because interviewer Maria Menounos is no Tim Russert, the Ticket's Leslie Hoffecker notes. But there was no talk in this talk about troop drawdowns or recession. It was all fashion and fun.

"I'm baffled by this whole thing myself,'' the candidate said of his newfound status as a fashion icon -Versace has named a spring line after him - "because I hate to shop."
This is true, daughter Malia testifies about one shopping trip in which her father "bought three pairs of black pants and the same jacket in green, brown and black."

Michelle Obama says she keeps the romance alive in their 15-year marriage by telling her husband that she is proud of him. Sasha and Malia like it, she says, when "Mommy and Daddy hold hands."

See more about this low-heat grilling in Top of the Ticket. (Photo courtesy of Access Hollywood: That's Maria Menounos (second from right) with Malia (left), Sasha, Michelle and Barack Obama )

by John Crewdson

The Swamp watches the Sunday talk shows, so you can watch Federer and Nadal battle at Wimbledon.

You didn't miss much. It's a holiday weekend, and Washington is dead. The congressmen and senators who usually populate the Sunday talk shows are back home in their districts and states, scarfing endless amounts of BBQ with the constituents whose votes they will be seeking in just four months.

That leaves the Sunday talks with only two kinds of guests to choose from: those like Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, who would swim the Potomac for a chance to be on TV, and more obscure members, like Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who almost never get the chance.

"Meet the Press" was bumped by Wimbledon. Ironically, of the remaining shows the most worth watching was CNN's "Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer," which celebrated its 10th anniversary with a retrospective containing some of the most famous, and infamous, declarations of the past decade.

Among these were Al Gore's assertion that he "took the initiative in creating the Internet" (he didn't); Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's worry that "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud," and her assurance that aluminum tubes being shipped to Iraq were "only suited" for use in a nuclear weapons program (they weren't); former Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld's disclosure before the invasion that the Bush Administration had "solid evidence of the presence" of Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq (it didn't); and vice president Dick Cheney's assertion--only last year--that "the world is much safer today" without Saddam Hussein. "If he were still there today we'd have a terrible situation," Cheney said.