If it's still unbelievable how early the 2008 election race has started, how about 2010?

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Sunday attends a $2,300- to $4,600- per-person fund-raiser at the home of Ron Burkle. Fresh off of last week's event for Hillary Clinton, Burkle is co-hosting with producer Steve Bing.

It's not so unusual, as senatorial candidates often want to get as much in the bank as early as possible to scare off potential competitors.If they don't post good figures early, it's "like sharks in the water," as one political consultant said.  With Arnold Schwarzenegger at least holding open the possibility of running, she would face some forminable competition.

But a few fund-raising types, knee deep in the presidential race, are a bit miffed that the senator is throwing such an event now. The reason? Donors are restricted to giving no more than $42,700 this election cycle to all candidates. Given all the money that has come out of Hollywood in the past three months, it's conceiveable that some donors will be maxing out by the end of the year. That would prevent them from giving any more to a presidential contender or, better yet, a candidate running for the Senate in 2008.

The event marks Boxer's 30th year in elected office, and will feature as a special guest Sen. James Webb (D-Va.).

In the meantime, Democrats are ramping up their efforts to retain Congress next year.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) will be guests of honor at a Sunday dinner for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee at the home of City National CEO Russell Goldsmith. And on April 12, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) attends an event at the home of Barbra Streisand to raise money for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Tickets are $25,000 per couple for cocktails and dinner, and $50,000 per couple for premium seating at the cocktails and dinner.

Will Streisand sing? The invite says only, "musical performance with David Foster and special guest."

Fox News Channel and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute have agreed to sponsor two debates this fall, in a move that could ignite another round of criticism by liberal activists and the online group MoveOn.

The Nevada Democratic Party last month pulled out of a planned debate with Fox News after Sen. John Edwards pulled out, complaining of the news channel's coverage of Democratic candidates. Liberal activists also mounted a campaign to scuttle the event, calling Fox's coverage slanted.

Fox and the Black Caucus group plan a debate of Democratic candidates on Sept. 23 in Detroit, and another with GOP contenders at an unscheduled date and location.

Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said in a statement to the New York Times:

"As a leading organization dedicated to educating the public on issues of national policy, the CBC Institute is committed to presenting the presidential candidates to the broadest audience possible.”

“Our goal with each debate is to provide a platform that will allow voters to hear the positions of candidates from both political parties. Collaborating with FOX News provides an opportunity to take this presidential election to millions of households.”

Looking extremely unhappy to be pulled out of the audience, approaching the stage as if under duress, presidential adviser Karl Rove in the end got down. Big time.

And why not? It was the Radio & Television Correspondents Dinner, an annual schmooze-fest second only in style and glam to the White House Correspondents Dinner. A-list pols and electronic journos mingle in a friendly, quote-me-only-with-consent atmosphere.

Following dinner comes entertainment, provided this year by Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood of the improv-driven "Whose Line is It Anyway?" The duo tapped Rove, one of CNN's many guests, to join them for a rap number they were going to do --- featuring him.

First they needed grist for their rhymes and asked Rove what his hobbies are. Stamp collecting, quail hunting and "tearing the tops off small animals," came the reply.

Dubbed "MC Rove," he was then told to shout out his name when asked. Cue heavy downbeat and turntable slides, then:

"He's all white from his head to his toes! What's his name?" "I'm MC ROVE!"

"When he's out quail-huntin' you'll find him down in the cove, but what's his name?" "I'm MC ROVE!"

And so on, as Rove even started bustin' some moves, which Mochrie and Sherwood had actually delegated to NBC Nightly News reporter David Gregory, whom they'd recruited for "back-up dancing," as they called it.

Both Gregory and Rove showed a lot more heart than rhythm, but by the end the thousand or so guests were laughing and applauding.

Even Rove's boss -- George W. himself -- got into the spirit of the evening, poking fun at himself and his administration. "We really blew the way we let those attorneys go," Bush observed humbly. "You know you've botched it when people sympathize with lawyers. Speaking of supbpoenas, it's good to see Speaker Pelosi tonight."

He reminisced: "Last year at this time, my approval rating was in the 30s, my Supreme Court nominee had been withdrawn, and my vice president had just shot somebody... ah, those were the good old days."

And he looked forward, noting that after leaving office, Bill Clinton had written a massive memoir. "I think mine will be a pop-up book."

By William Triplett in Washington.

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

Fred Thompson is now third in some polls behind Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, even though he has yet to get in the race. But the Washington Post reports that the former senator and "Law & Order" star is "seriously considering" a White House bid, and that prospect has been the buzz in D.C. party circles. "He has a commanding television presence that makes every other politician in America jealous," said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R.-Tenn.). What seems certain is that if he does enter the race, stations and even cablers will drop "Law & Order" reruns because of equal time rules.

War Over "The War": The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is putting pressure on PBS to include Hispanic's in the pubcaster's upcoming Ken Burns World War II documentary "The War." Chairman Joe Baca (D-Calif.) tells the Politico that the 14-hour project, set to air in September, does not feature any Hispanic soldiers but does feature African-Americans and Japanese-Americans. The Caucus has met with PBS officials, and have not ruled out restricting federal funding if the doc isn't changed. PBS has made no commitment. Burns and co-producer Lynn Novick said they were "dismayed and saddened by any assumption that we intentionally excluded anyone from our series on the Second World War. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Video Top Ten: Via Huffington Post, Politics TV names the top 10 political web videos.

President Bush poked fun at himself at the Radio and Television Correspondents' dinner tonight, quipping to a crowd of journalists and celebrities, "A year ago, my approval rating was in the 30s, my nominee for the Supreme Court had just withdrawn, and my vice president had shot someone," he said. "Ah, those were the good old days."

The gathering is an annual D.C. ritual that mixes politicos, stars and journalists --- often with the President or Vice President using the occasion to prove that he can take a joke. Last year, Vice President Cheney presented a slideshow with pictures of him on a Segway with his dogs and a rifle. More famously, in 2004, Bush showed photos of himself looking around his office for weapons of mass destruction. That drew some criticism by Democrats, who accused Bush of making light of the war.

Other Bush one liners, according to the AP: On Cheney's absence: "He's had a rought few weeks. To be honest, his feelings were kind of hurt. He said he's going on vacation to Afghanistan where people like him."

And speaking of his plans after leaving office, Bush said he was thinking of writing a memoir. "I'm thinking of something really fun and creative for mine. You know, maybe a pop-up book."

Other highlights: Comics from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" persuaded Karl Rove to do an improvised rap song.

Next month, in a larger gathering, Capitol elites will gather again for the White House Correspondents Assn. dinner, which made big waves last year by the sharp riffs that emcee Stephen Colbert made at Bush's expense, with the President on the dais to hear them. This time, the group has picked the much tamer Rich Little to host.

More from the dinner, including a tribute to Bob Woodruff and special words about Tony Snow, who was scheduled to attend. Also: CBS News video of Rove's rap. And Jib Jab Media unveiled its latest work at the event, a video titled "What We Call the News.:

Updated

With James Inhofe and other GOP senators blocking the July 7 Live Earth concert on U.S. Capitol gounds, organizers assure that they will still be holding a U.S component of the seven-continent show. They just indicate that it may not be on the steps of the Capitol.

"We have dozens of cities around the world competiting for the chance to hold a Live Earth concert, including major U.S. cities up and down the east coast," producer Kevin Wall said in a statement. "This will bring revenue and tremendous visibility to the host cities."

Chad Griffin, senior adviser to the event, said, "On July 7, 2007, Live Earth will unite over two billion people across all seven continents, and while it’s unfortunate for the American people that we are being blocked from staging the U.S. concert in our nation’s capital, the show must go on. Like music, the issue of global warming transcends all boundaries, even American political parties.”

Organizers already were rebuffed in staging the even on the Mall, because the National Park Service says it's already booked that day.

Inhofe clashed with Gore when the former vice president testified on global warming last week.

It goes without saying that this won't endear the music profession to Inhofe, who already came under criticism on Monday by Beach Boy Mike Love. According to the Washington Examiner, Love said at an appearance before the National Press Club, “Gore deserves a bit more respect than he was shown by a rancorous senator from Oklahoma. I was offended by the rancorous display of hostility. There’ll be a time in the not-too-distant future when no one will inhabit elective office unless they are environmentally conscious.”

Rep. Edward J. Markey, who chairs the House select committee on energy independent and global warming, blasted GOP attempts to prevent the concert.

In a statement released late on Wednesday, Markey referred to the 1983 incident in which Interior Secretary James Watt banned the Beach Boys from playing on the National Mall, saying that they attracted an "undesirable element." It proved an embarassment for the Reagan administration, and the group was allowed the following year.

"Not since former Interior Secretary James Watt tried to ban the Beach Boys from appearing on the National Mall has such a misguided effort at political censorship been undertaken by a Republican official," Markey said. "It's dangerous enough to deny science; it's sheer luacy to deny song."

That, and other news, in today's Political Panorama.

You could almost script this one. The week after tussling with Al Gore at a Senate hearing, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) has said he will block plans to stage the Live Earth concerts on Capitol grounds, according to the Hill. The concerts were announced with much fanfare last month by Gore and producer Kevin Wall, and benefit Gore's group Alliance for Climate Protection.

"There has never been a partisan political event at the Capitol, and this is a partisan political event," said Inhofe, a global warming skeptic who once called it "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people." According the the Hill, Inhofe's parliamentary powers can block the concerts indefinitely, even if a majority support a resolution to allow the event. An attempt last week to pass a resolution was halted when Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he wanted more time to study the proposal.

"There is no compromise," Inhofe said. "Either we change the rules or we don't."

Reagan Libe Debate: In addition to a GOP debate this May, the Reagan Library has planned another forum for Jan. 30, 2008. The twist is that the library aims to include only the top two or three Republican contenders at that point. The Politico and MSNBC are sponsoring the May 3 forum.

Digital Divide: The Los Angeles Times reports that one in five U.S. households depend on rabbit ears and the airwaves to get a TV signal, and therefore will be most vulnerable when those transmissions are turned off in February, 2009. That's when the nation switches from analog to digital, rendering those tube-driven sets obsolete. Although the government will hand out subsidies for converter boxes, civil rights groups worry about the transition. 

Movie Madness: The Politico looks at the movie "September Dawn," a fictitious account of the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre, in which Mormons in southern Utah and southern Paiute Indians murdered members of an Arkansas pioneer wagon train en route to California. The issues is raised as to whether the indie pic, which stars Jon Voight, would have any impact on the campaign of Mitt Romney. His spokesman Kevin Madden says, "I don't think anyone in their right mind would argue that a film about Italian-Americans would make people more likely or less likely to vote for Rudy Giuliani or that a film about African-Americans would make people any more or less likely to vote for Barack Obama."

Hollywood's former chief lobbyist Jack Valenti suffered a stroke last week.

Valenti, 85, who was an adviser to President Lyndon Johnson, is hospitalized at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore, according to a statement to the Associated Press from longtime Valenti friend Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros.

"His family tells me that the doctors are encouraged by his progress to date," Meyer said.

No further information was released. Valenti was the president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America from 1966 to 2004, when he was succeeded by Dan Glickman.

Meyer said Valenti's wife Mary Margaret and their children asked him "to express their deep appreciation of the outpouring of love, support and prayers."

That, and other news in Tuesday's Political Panorama.

White House spokesman Tony Snow has had a recurrence of cancer. He announced last week that he would be checking out a growth on his abdomen on Monday, and his deputy Dana Perino said that it turned out to be malignant. The cancer also had spread to his liver. According to ABC News' Jon Garcia, Snow told her he's "going after it as aggressively as he can" and that "he'll beat it again." President Bush said, "My attitude is that we need to pray for him and his family."

Mitt's Trip: Mitt Romney returns to L.A. today for a fund-raiser at the home of Rick Caruso, a prominent Los Angeles developer who built The Grove, among other projects. Although entertainment figures are scant among those named on the invite to the event, one name that does appear is that of EBay's Meg Whitman, a longtime friend of Romney's. Chris Dodd, who had a fund-raiser last week at the home of Paul Simon, is here Thursday for an event at the residence of producer Tom Werner.

Torn Techies: The Wall Street Journal writes that younger tech exec support in Silicon Valley is going to Barack Obama, while Hillary Clinton lines up older boldfaced names. Among those backing the Illinois senator: Steve Westly, the former gubernatorial candidate and ex-eBay exec (there's a lot of eBay influence this time around).

New Record: When Clinton raised more than $2.6 million at Burkle's estate on Saturday, it helped put her one-week take above $10 million. Earlier in the week, she raised $2.7 million at a Washington event and $3.1 million at a New York event, and raised enough at other smaller events to put her over the mark. The New York Daily News reports that just that week tops the $7.4 million record that John Edwards set for the entire first quarter of 2003. We've tried to discern whether the Burkle event set any Los Angeles records, but the entire exercise is fraught with nuance, given that changing levels of contribution limits over the years.

"Song" Wrong?: The AP reports that the Walt Disney Co. is reconsidering a DVD release of "Song of the South," its 1946 classic of Uncle Remus tales that has been cricized as racist for its depiction of blacks on southern plantations. CEO Bob Iger said at the company's recent annual meeting, "The question of Song of the South comes up periodically; in fact, it was raised at last year's annual meeting . . . . And since that time, we've decided to take a look at it again because we've had numerous requests about bringing it out. Our concern was that a film that was made so many decades ago being brought out today perhaps could be either misinterpreted or that it would be somewhat challenging in terms of providing the appropriate context." The AP also notes: "Remus' stories include the famous ''tar baby,'' a phrase Republican presidential hopefuls John McCain and Mitt Romney were recently criticized for using to describe difficult situations. In ''Song of the South,'' it was a trick Brer Fox and Brer Bear used to catch the rabbit – dressing a lump of hot tar as a person to ensnare their prey. To some, it is now a derogatory term for blacks, regardless of context."

Bloggers and e-mailers were critical of Katie Couric's line of questioning of John and Elizabeth Edwards on "60 Minutes" on Sunday night, but the couple actually praised the "CBS Evening News" anchor for the segment.

The main gripe is Couric raising the issue of whether Edwards, by going forward with his campaign, is putting his professional life ahead of his personal and family life. New York Times' The Caucus rounds up reaction, including this from Nora Ephron on the Huffington Post: "Last night on 60 Minutes, Katie Couric quoted John Edwards’ remark earlier in the week — that he was in the race “for the duration,” and asked him, “How can you say that, Senator Edwards, with such certainty? If, God forbid, Elizabeth doesn’t respond to whatever treatment is recommended, if her health deteriorates, would you really say that?”

The Los Angeles Times' Paul Brownfield wrote of Couric, "Here is her Catch-22, at times projected onto her, at others self-imposed: She opts for schoolgirl charm with a head of state and comes off as silly. With the Edwardses, she went with tough-minded and came off as priggish. What you wanted from her, on this night anyway, is reflected in a groundswell all over the news business: More transparency."

In a statement, Edwards said, “My reaction was that Katie Couric asked questions that the American people are asking themselves, and I think they were completely legitimate questions.

And I think the American people deserve answers from me and from Elizabeth to those questions. I mean, I’m asking America to support me and vote for me as their next president, and I think part of the evaluation of a candidate for president is a personal evaluation of the character and integrity and honesty of a candidate. So, no, I thought the questions were fair. Tough. I thought they were tough, but they were fair.”

What's more, the campaign sent out an e-mail on Saturday night urging supporters to watch.

That, and other news, in Monday's Political Panorama.

As the year goes on, it will be more and more difficult for candidates to raise money. Already, so many people have maxed out to a particular candidate, meaning that they already have given the limit, or that they are simply sick of fund-raisers. So it becomes a game of finding new sources of untapped money.

The Los Angeles Times and other media outlets have reported on the courting of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's endorsement, and the betting is that he will back Hillary Clinton. That will mean a lot in being able to draw on his base of support from which to find different donors.

And in the entertainment industry, Clinton's campaign is excited by the endorsement of News Corp. COO Peter Chernin --- not just because he's a high profile figure, but because he can be a bit more visible than maybe other media execs are in raising money. As the thinking goes, because Rupert Murdoch has been so visible on the Republican side, Chernin is perhaps freer to be more active in his support of Democratic candidates because he balances things out at News Corp. Murdoch did raise money for Hillary's Senate campaign, but has already sent out the word that it's doubtful he would back her presidential race. Plans are afoot for him to co-host an event for Hillary, and probably with Steven Spielberg, who is as yet undecided. Other names may be added to the list as well.

Notable and Quotable: Introducing Clinton at her big fund-raiser on Saturday night, Mary Steenburgen drew a great deal of applause for her remark, "It's time to elect the best man for the job. This time that person happens to be a woman." Also heard about the Burkle venue: "My God, this is more of a park than a backyard." Video of the event, as Barbra Streisand asks a question.

Race Card: Speaking at Saturday's Human Rights Campaign dinner, Bill Richardson admitted that he was a star-struck Trekkie with the appearance at the event of "Sulu," George Takei. Richardson did have one gripe: "I don't understand why the Hispanic Khan --- Ricardo Montalban --- is always the bad guy." More seriously, Richardson pledged to pass a domestic partnership bill in New Mexico, and if elected President to overturn "don't ask, don't tell." "I will end this disrespectful policy." His biggest cheers came when he noted that New Mexico "passed a medical marijuana bill." After some laughs, he said, "I didn't know that was one of your issues, too."

Maher on Her: A lot of what Bill Maher said at the same event --- in which he received the group's Equality Award --- is unprintable here. He did quite a riff on Ann Coulter's calling John Edwards a "faggot." Basically, he sees her "f" word as a code word for those who "cares about the poor, reads the newspaper and speaks in complete sentences." What Richardson said about Coulter was a bit more G-rated. "We are fed up with Karl Rove's machinations and Ann Coulter. Actually, we're fed up with Ann Coulter, period."

Is Thompson Closer?: Rep. Zack Wamp (R-Tenn.) tells The Politico that he believes that Fred Thompson is "seriously preparing" for a presidential run.

Edwards Postscript: At Friday's Edwards event, there was some hubbub over Edwards, the Clintons and phone calls, reports Nikki Finke of LA Weekly...Among those who were there was Andy Spahn, whose clients include Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg. He says of Edwards, "I was very moved and inspired by his speech. I was very impressed. He laid out his vision for the country" in areas like health care, foreign policy and the environment. "It is as good a presidential address as I've seen." Katzenberg is backing Obama, and Spielberg has written checks for Obama, Clinton and Edwards.

As Hillary Clinton tells Hollywood how she'd choose to solve the country's problems, Bill Clinton is on the speaking circuit dramatizing just how bad those problems are.

The former president made an appearance at a Viacom event in Gotham on Friday in which he laid out a surprisingly bleak view of the modern world as "unequal, unstable and unsustainable."

Event, an upfront for the TV Land cable net, scheduled Clinton because he reps the net's core baby-boomer demo. But in front of hundreds of Madison Avenue buyers, Clinton mostly shrugged off the boomer themes and focused on subjects like disease in the developing world, global warming, peak oil and health-care inequity.

With his usual mix of beguiling eloquence and relentless statistics, Clinton documented just how bad a state he feels the world is in. Clinton even drew a comparison between fundamentalist terrorism and those who perpetrate global warming. "Those who believe (in the idea of a shared identity and future) would not explode bombs on buses, and would not knowingly burn the planet up."

While Clinton has been careful to avoid overt campaigning for his wife, he made several references to efforts she was making to address these problems, including a trip she and John McCain took to Scandinavia to convince a "group of skeptical Republican senators" of urgency of global warming.

Hillary has been courting Hollywood in the interest of winning over its hearts (and coin). Bill's speech in front of advertisers at a television upfront could have its own consequences on the media landscape: he urged Madison Avenue to push for more disclosure in political attack ads, an issue on which ad buyers have some clout.

Like the pols cruising Hollywood, Clinton carefully positioned himself as attuned to the entertainment zeitgeist. Clinton described his favorite shows as "Grey's Anatomy," "Boston Legal" and "24," the last of which he said he likes "apparently even though an uber-right-wing guy writes it." He was referring to series exec producer Joel Surnow.

---By Steven Zeitchik in New York.

Two days after Al Gore testified, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rebuffed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) move to approve the Live Earth concert on July 7 on Capitol grounds.

But it is unclear how serious McConnell's objection to the concert is, although for now it is stuck in the Senate Rules Committee. According to the Politico, McConnell's objection covered "for the time being," essentially giving him time to review the request.

The plans are to stage the concerts on seven continents that day, with proceeds going to Gore's Alliance for Climate Protection.

Appearing upbeat and optimistic, John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth addressed a group of donors at a Friday evening fund-raiser at the Santa Monica home of Skip Brittenham and Heather Thomas.

The event came a day after the couple held a press conference to announce that Elizabeth Edwards' cancer had returned. With his wife's urging and blessing, John Edwards said he would continue to campaign.

One attendee said that the event had the feel of a "town hall meeting" rather than a cocktail reception and dinner, and that although the couple conveyed a positive attitude like they did in their Thursday press conference, they talked serious issues.

Introducing her husband, Elizabeth Edwards talked of meeting many people on the campaign trail and elsewhere who faced health crises like her own, but who lacked adequate health care and held minimum wage jobs to pay premiums. Speaking for about 45 minutes, John Edwards addressed topics ranging from global warming to how the U.S. is viewed in the world.

Among those present were Laurie David, Cindy Horn, Norman Lear, James L. Brooks, Nina Jacobson, Armyan Bernstein, Skip Paul and J.C. Spink. Edie Wasserman also was there, along with her daughter Lynne and granddaughter Carol Leif.

Rather than a big gala, like Hillary Clinton's event at the estate of Ron Burkle tonight, Edwards has been raising money in the industry at a series of medium-sized receptions. He did an event in January at Endeavor and attended a reception earlier this month at the home of Endeavor's Adam Venit.

That, and other news in this weekend's Political Panorama.

The Miami Herald reports that Timbaland is hosting a $1,000-per-person fund-raiser for Hillary Clinton on March 31 in Miami. Some wonder if the producer/rapper's work may be in conflict with Clinton's women-centric pitch. The Politico digs up a few lyrics.

Morris Off Anti-Hill Pic: Dick Morris is no longer involved in David Bossie's upcoming anti-Hillary doc, but Morris says time contraints are the reason.

More on My Space: Newsweek's Andrew Romano reviews My Space Impact and finds the presidential candidate profiles lacking. "At first glance these presidential MySpace pages seem so boring: the same 'uplifting' biographies, the same policy platitudes, the same red-white-and-blue aesthetic. Each candidate's Internet team is young and smart enough to know there's nothing more painful than watching old people act 'hip.' Unfortunately, that means no pictures of Joe Biden in a bikini." He gives low marks to Rudy Giuliani for not even allowing users to see his page unless they are invited. He does credit John Edwards, Dennis Kucinich and Mitt Romney with offering content customized to the My Space network. But otherwise, "The lingua franca of MySpace is authenticity—or the appearance thereof. These profiles aren't convincingly authentic—after all, Duncan Hunter chose 'God Bless the U.S.A.' as his theme song (indicating that he's either a politician, or insane). But they do possess a peculiar charm. Simply put, it's flattering when a possible president comes to your turf and tries to connect. Even if he is old."

Oscar Comments: When former VP Al Gore testified on Wednesday, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobachar said, "It is not often that we have a visitor in this committee that is an Academy Award winner. More often than not, we have distinguished recipients of awards from organizations such as the American Chemical Society and the American Society of Civil Engineers, but not an award as glamorous as yours. So needless to say, we are honored to have you here today.” Others made similar references. Given all the attention paid to Gore's appearance, it is almost futile to raise the technicality involved. Officially, Gore did not receive an Oscar. That went to David Guggenheim, the director of "An Inconvenient Truth," although Guggenheim brought Gore and the film's producers on stage with him. But

New Mexico governor and presidential hopeful Bill Richardson was about as honest as one can be when holding a meet-and-greet reception on Thursday at TV lit agent Mitchell Kaplan’s offices on Wilshire Boulevard. He knows he’s behind other Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards in terms of his ability to raise money in Hollywood

"I’m a supplicant,” Richardson said.

Clinton and Edwards each have events scheduled this weekend in Los Angeles. But Richardson and his cadre said they’d met with one high-profile type while in Los Angeles who may hold an event for him in June. Whatever the case, the politico said he’s going to become a California regular, especially now that the primary has moved up to Feb. 5.

Richardson certainly has a pleasing resume, including serving as a congressman, the secretary of the Department of Energy and Ambassador to the United Nations. With the environment and diplomacy being on the top of the list of things that people want to talk about, many have felt that he should be able to impress, and raise some coin while doing so.

Richardson told the gathering, “The Congress is dysfunctional, and the administration has run out of gas.”

On a matter closer to home, Richardson said if he were President he’d like to foster, on a wider scale, the same sort of tax incentives that have made New Mexico such a hot spot for film production.

One attendee didn’t particularly care for Richardson’s stand on guns. Richardson has opposed such gun control efforts as the Brady Bill. The governor explained that he certainly doesn’t support assault weapons, but to keep in mind that he is a hunter from the Western United States

“It’s a way of life in the West,” he explained. “Can you just give me a pass on that?"

---By Pamela McClintock in Los Angeles.

In the latest twist on Viacom's efforts to control its content on You Tube, progressive group MoveOn has sued the media conglomerate for demanding that the video download site remove a satirical send-up of "The Colbert Report."

Viacom is on a campaign to get You Tube to remove what it calls copyrighted clips from its sight, arguing that segments of shows like "Colbert" are protected by federal law.

But MoveOn, along with Brave New Films, had uploaded a spoof of Colbert that parodied the talk host's riff on right wing media and MoveOn's own reputation for earnest political activism. The video was called "Stop the Falsiness," and included both original content and Comedy Central footage. An attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which filed the suit on behalf of MoveOn, says that the video is "an act of free speech and a fair use of 'The Colbert Report.'"

MoveOn asked a federal court today to stop the removal to protect its free speech rights.

Elizabeth Edwards, appearing with her husband John, said that her cancer has returned but that "right now, we feel incredibly optimistic."

"I don't expect my life to be different," she said at a press conference in North Carolina on Thursday.

John Edwards said that he is not suspending his campaign and that he and his wife will be travelling to California on Friday. He has a fund-raiser scheduled Friday night at the home of Skip Brittenham and Heather Thomas.

"The campaign goes on," he said. "The campaign goes on strongly."

Smiling, offering a few light-hearted jokes, Elizabeth Edwards appeared at the press conference assuring reporters that she did not want her husband to suspend his campaign. 

John Edwards said, "She said nothing about the campaign, the physical and difficult nature of the campaign, would interfere with her treatment."

"Let me be absolutely clear, any time and any place I need to be with Elizabeth, I will be there."

He addressed a question on how he will be able to manage the stress of his wife's cancer treatment and at the same time manage a campaign.

"If you are not able to focus in a thoughtful way to deal with this pressure, you are not ready to be President."

Elizabeth Edwards added, "He has an unbelieveable toughness, a reserve, that allows him to push forward with what needs to happen."

That, and other news in today's Political Panorama:

Rush and Release: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appearance on Rush Limbaugh's radio show Wednesday morning was free of zingers, but the Governor didn't back down or apologize for calling the talk-show host "irrelevant." Limbaugh has been critical of Schwarzenegger's policies on the environment and health care, and has accused him of os being a "sellout." According to the Los Angeles Times Political Muscle, Schwarzenegger requested an appearance on Limbaugh's show, and Limbaugh complied. The Governor said, "So what you guys are talking about, the ideology and philosophy and, you know, the right versus the left and all of these things, I cannot deal with that as much because to me what is important is that I bring both of the parties together and make things work to serve the people. This is why I pay very little attention if someone criticizes me or calls me, you know, that I'm turning left, that I'm selling out or whatever, I have to stay focused on results." Limbaugh continued to press his case, although he backed away from earlier claims that Maria Shriver had urged Arnold to attack him as a way of pleasing Hollywood's liberals.

Gore on the Spot: In testimony on Wednesday, Al Gore offered nothing in the way of presidential clues, but quite a few of detailed ideas for solving the problems of global warming.

"The 300" Under Fire: While Gore somewhat glowingly alluded to the movie "The 300" in his testimony, Iran's President hit it spot on. According to Variety's Ali Jaafar, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Western powers of "trying to tamper with history by making a film and by making Iran's image look savage." "By psychological war, propaganda and misuse of the organizations they have themselves created, and for which they have written the rules, and over which they have the monopoly, they are trying to prevent our nation's development," Ahmadinejad added.

"Mr. Smith" Filibusters: The Politico catches up with Jeff Smith, the adjunct university instructor whose 2004 campaign for a Congressional seat in Missouri was depicted in the doc, "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?" As it turns out, Smith lost, but he did win an open state Senate seat. And just like Jimmy Stewart in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," he did stage a recent filibuster. "I began the process of going through every state in the country and talking about every United States senator and their background and how they got into office and what their election was like and what they'd done in the Senate. I started in Maine, and I just started going down the coast," he said, guessing that he hit about 25 senators.

On the Auction Block: Lunch with Alan Greenspan, a meal with Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame and VIP access to Sundance and Tribeca film festivals are some of the items up for online auction at www.charitybuzz.com to raise funds and awareness for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial's human rights work. Also among the items: a tour of the Air and Space Museum with John Glenn and the U.S. Capitol with Chris Matthews.

Phil DeVellis just wrote on Huffington Post that he made the "Big Sister" ad --- he calls it "Vote Different" --- and says that neither the Obama campaign nor his (now former) employer knew that he did it.

"I made the ad on a Sunday afternoon in my apartment using my personal equipment (a Mac and some software), uploaded it to YouTube, and sent links around to blogs.

"The specific point of the ad was that Obama represents a new kind of politics, and that Senator Clinton's 'conversation' is disingenuous. And the underlying point was that the old political machine no longer holds all the power."

He also says that he resigned from Blue State Digital "so as not to harm them, even by implication."

"This ad was not the first citizen ad, and it will not be the last. The game has changed."

But his employer says that he was fired. Thomas Gensemer, the managing director of Blue State Digital, says, "This afternoon, an employee at our firm, Phillip de Vellis, received a call from Arianna Huffington of "The Huffington Post" regarding the "1984" video currently circulating online. Initially, de Vellis refused to respond to her requests. He has since acknowledged to Blue State Digital that he was the creator of the video.

"Pursuant to company policy regarding outside political work or commentary on behalf of our clients or otherwise, Mr. de Vellis has been terminated from Blue State Digital effective immediately. Blue State Digital is under contract with the Obama Campaign for technology pursuits including software development and hosting.

"Additionally, one of our founding partners is on leave from the company to work directly for the campaign at headquarters. However, Blue State Digital is not currently engaged in any relationship with the Obama Campaign for creative or non-technical services.

"Mr. de Vellis created this video on his own time. It was done without the knowledge of management, and was in no way tied to his work at the firm or our formal engagement [on technology pursuits] with the Obama campaign.

"I have spoken with David Plouffe, Sen. Obama's campaign manager, to inform him of this action and am appreciative of his understanding and ongoing support of our work. We wish Mr. de Vellis well in his future endeavors."

Arianna Huffington writes on HuffingtonPost that the person who created the "Big Sister" anti-Hillary Internet ad is Phillip de Vellis, who was working for Obama consultant Blue State Digital and was Internet communications director for Sherrod Brown's 2006 Senate campaign. She's still trying to get him to blog about it, but here is what he said so far under the alias ParkRidge47:

"The idea was simple and so was the execution. Make a bold statement about the Democratic primary race by culture jacking a famous commercial and replacing as few images as possible. For some people it doesn't register, but for people familiar with the ad and the race it has obviously struck a chord.

"A friend suggested the idea after reading a New York Times article about the Clinton's campaign bullying of donors and political operatives after the Geffen dustup."

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said, "The Obama campaign and its employees had no knowledge and had nothing to do with the creation of the ad. We were notified this evening by a vendor of ours, Blue State Digital, that an employee of the company had been involved in the making of this ad. Blue State Digital has separated ties with this individual and we have been assured he did no work on our campaign’s account."

Nothing like a thousand of your closest friends to give you 2.7 million reasons to feel good about your presidential campaign.

That's how many dollar bills Hillary Rodham Clinton took in at her kick-off fundraiser in D.C. last night at the Marriott Wardman Hotel in the posh Woodley neighborhood of the city.

Festivities began with a buffet-style reception and open bar for guests who had ponied up a minimum $1,000 ($2,300 max, per federal election rules) to have the run of the hotel's grand ballroom, which was festooned with enormous monitors (not unlike the one in the "1984"-ish YouTube vid!), a U.S. flag the size of something building-wrap-artist Christo might use, and banners proclaiming Hillary in 2008.

The highlight, of course, was HRC's entrance with that guy who used to be president -- husband Bill -- by her side. In intro'ing his candidate-wife, Bill led with a story he told two nights earlier at a fundraiser in Manhattan, that toward the end of their time at Yale Law School, he advised her to leave him and go into politics since he was facing an uncertain future with a lot of debt. "And she said to me," he recounted with a chuckle, "'Oh, I'll never run for anything.'"

Bill then yielded the stage, and HRC went into high campaign mode, thanking everyone who'd come and then listing her main goals as president (universal health care, energy independence, improved educational opportunities).

Though a vocal critic of the Bush administration's (mis)steps in Iraq, Clinton didn't address the war until after a CodePink protester was escorted out of the ballroom after chanting, "What about Iraq? What about Iraq?" "I understand the frustration and outrage," Clinton said, her tone intensifying.

She vowed that if Bush didn't get the country out of Iraq by January 2009, she would. If elected, that is.

Hill then joined Bill amid scores of donating fans and admirers seeking handshakes and, from Bill at least, autographs. House lights danced, and the sound system blasted Bachman Turner Overdrive's old hit, "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet."

---By William Triplett in Washington

"ParkRidge47" is listed as the maker of the Orwellian/Apple Computer ad spoof featuring Hillary Clinton, and a few outlets are waging a guessing game as to just where it came from. The only clue is that the maker says he/she/them was inspired by the David Geffen/Hillary Clinton/ Barack Obama dustup.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Carla Marinucci --- who, by the way, was the pool reporter at the Obama fund-raiser --- offers a list of suspects ranging from Karl Rove to Hillary Clinton herself, the motive for the latter being that it would help reinforce the view that Obama is capable of attack ad politics, even if his campaign didn't make the spot. Also listed: Ridley Scott, because he made the original "1984" ad, knows CGI and made "Gladiator," produced by DreamWorks.

Newsweek's Howard Fineman notes that the ad received more than a million hits this week and may signal the shape of things to come, as any high-profile donor like Geffen or Ron Burkle could bankroll an independent, Internet ad operation. "Whoever made the 'Big Sister' ad has talent, big time. Like the sledge hammer in the ad, it blows up a central web-based sales pitch of the Hillary campaign: that she is just another mom (though a brainy, accomplished one) who wants to have a “chat” with you over a cup of coffee in the kitchen. The ad is deeply antagonistic, personal – and powerful emotional propaganda. Imagine that production team with, say, Geffen’s backing. Very potent stuff." 

Updated

Gore Testifies: In testimony to a House committee, he warned of a "planetary emergency." He also alluded to one this week's most popular film: From the NYT: "Evoking the hit movie “300,” about the ancient Spartans’ stand at Thermopylae, Mr. Gore called on Congress to put aside partisan differences, accept the scientific consensus on global warming as unambiguous and become 'the 535,' a reference to the total number of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives."

Clinton on "Big Sister": Hillary Clinton says a bit amusedly that she "thanks heavens" for the as-yet-anonymous You Tube ad that's been making the rounds. Dubbed "Little Sister," it's a play off Apple Computer's "1984" spot, this time as a runner wearing a Barack Obama T-shirt smashes a giant screen of Clinton's image playing to an Orwellian crowd. “I thank heavens for small favors and the attention has shifted and now maybe people won’t have to tune in and hear me screeching about ‘The Star Spangled Banner,” she told NY 1. She added, "I think anything that drives interest in these campaigns and gets people who otherwise are not at all interested in politics, I think that’s pretty good. I might quibble a little bit about the content but if we get more people, especially young people, thinking about politics, I’m happy about that." On "Larry King Live" on Monday, Obama said, "It’s not something that we had anything to do with or were aware of and that frankly, given what it looks like, we don’t have the technical capacity to create something like that. It’s pretty extraordinary."

Fence Mending?: In Democratic-dominated Hollywood, most people are wondering what all the fuss is about. But a day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger labelled Rush Limbaugh as "irrelevant," Schwarzenegger has agreed to come on to Limbaugh's radio show. According to Limbaugh, Schwarzenegger is scheduled to come on about 10 a.m. Limbaugh has been attacking Schwarzenegger's actions on global warming and health care, and when asked about it on "Today" on Tuesday, the Governor said, "All irrelevant. Rush Limbaugh is irrelevant. I am not his servant." Limbaugh then called Schwarzenegger a "sellout."

Miller Time: If Rush is "irrelevant," what to make of Dennis Miller? He's set to host a radio show for Salem Communications, which also broadcasts Dennis Prager and Hugh Hewitt. According to the Los Angeles Times' Political Muscle, Miller recently joked on Bill O'Reilly: "Listen, I think there's a lot of double-cheek air kissing in Hollywood. I might have lost some of those friends. But no, not my dear friends. I certainly hope our friendship runs deeper than that. I still have some ultra-liberal friends. I went to Arnold's for a Christmas party."

Down on Fred: Don't count Mickey Kaus among the fans who see greatness in Fred Thompson. Given his record on Capitol Hill and as an actor, he wonders what all the fuss is about.

Mel Makes Good: Facing some skepticism over the proposed Sirius-XM merger in Congress, Mel Karmazin offers a form of ala carte service.

Updated

Fox News Debates: The AP reports that the Congressional Black Caucus' Political and Education Leadership Institute is negotiating with Fox News to host a series of debates, to the dismay of critics.

The War at Home: Keyed to the 4th anniversary of the war in Iraq, the New York Times Alessandra Stanley examines references to the ongoing conflict in prime time dramas and sitcoms, often in cynical plot points or sitcom one-liners. "Heroes," for instance, "has two Los Angeles police officers racing to interview a suspect unfairly tagged a Muslim extremist," while on "Without a Trace," a pipe leak in the ocean is called "the ecological equivalent of Iraq." But Stanley writes that the references to the war often are merely plot devices. "Television shows process news events much faster than ever before, but not much more directly than they did at the time of “Hogan’s Heroes,” “M*A*S*H” or “China Beach.” They do not grapple any more straightforwardly with the larger issues of whether the war is right or wrong, or even try to paint the full reality of the war itself."

Thomas' Seat: Huffington Post reports that Helen Thomas will get to return to her first-row seat in the White House briefing room, after all.

Gore Getting In?: The Politico's John Harris weighs all the evidence on whether Al Gore will run for President --- and doesn't mention weight loss once. "The logic of psychology and even history suggests that Gore should run. And if he should run, it is hard to believe that a man who has organized most of his adult life around public service and the pursuit of the presidency won't in the end actually do it."

Will TMZ Give DC TMJ?: The Los Angeles Times tries to spell out exactly how TMZ will turn its hyper-celebrity focus on Washington, at a time when D.C. gossip is saturated. "How many times have we been subjected to the photo of Diana Ross sans makeup on TMZ's site? We've shuddered each time. Think Hillary Clinton uncoiffed, grinning wildly, all mouth and pale, washed-out lips? Money shot."

"Rudy. Male. 62 Years Old. New York, NY."

That begins Rudolph Giuliani's My Space page, which will surely receive many more hits after the networking service launched a new page called "My Space Impact," which aims to play a "powerful role" in the 2008 elections.

What will be interesting is how the MySpace web- and media- savvy audience of 18-24 year olds take to the candidates' pages. None of the candidates has made a brazen attempt to go hip --- but they always run the risk of coming across like Nixon did talking to Hippie Vietnam war protesters. As one analyst said, "The real test will be determined on how good the content is."

So far, most of the candidates resemble their political websites, with bios, videos and blog entries merely transferred to their own pages. What surely makes the sites, however, are the personal touches, from the candidates and their friends.

So here's some highlights of what's out there, in order of numbers of friends:

Barack Obama: Total friends: 69,564. Impressive, but filtering may be in the offing soon. One friend is pictured holding a handgun and offers this entry: "was good man u doin good an got da whole boro ckity vote u kno i hope to see u in the big office because u can do good things my man."

John Edwards: Total friends: 13,863. He comes closest to adapting to the enthusiasm of most My Space messages. "Born in Seneca, South Carolina. My dad was a millworker. I went to public schools. Luckily met my life partner, Elizabeth (isn't she great). Proud father of four children. As a lawyer, I stood up against the powerful. As a Senator, I stood up for you. I'm currently fighting poverty. Go Tarheels!" His heroes: "Elizabeth, the American People."

Hillary Clinton: Total friends: 1,501. She may have made the smartest My Space moves by declaring her support of net neutrality "so that the web remains open and democratic." "One of my highest priorities will be to make us number one again in the world of broadband." Her friend Kelly writes, "go get 'em girl!"

John McCain: Total friends: 1,283. They include Rep. Peter Roskam and one friend who calls himself "Down with Giuliani" (male, 14 years old, Buffalo, N.Y.). McCain lists as his favorite movie "Viva Zapata," released 55 years ago. At least he didn't say, "The 300."

Mitt Romney: Total friends: 1,165. Among them is his son, who in a few years may look just like his father. Romney runs a long list of favorite music that starts with Roy Orbison and the Beatles and ends with Clint Black and Garth Brooks, peaking our interest into exactly when he became a fan of which group and when.

Joseph Biden: Total friends: 875. One friend likes Biden because he was accepted as a friend while Mitt Romney turned him down. But Biden may want to check a "lowercase b," who is on his friends list yet posts an Obama logo on his own page.

Dennis Kucinich: Total friends: 780. Features a volunteer music video of Kucinich's campaign against the "corporatization of thought," set to some kind of fusion soundtrack. And lots of talk of impeachment.

Ron Paul: Total friends: 596. The Republican congressman from Texas is a virtual unknown in the field, but he calls himself the "leading advocate for freedom" in the nation's capital. No votes ever for taxes, an unbalanced budget, nor did he vote for the Patriot Act or the Iraq war. His friends are fervent, particularly one named "The Devil's Advocate."

Duncan Hunter: Total friends: 454. Lots of military friends, but also the re-appearance of "The Devil's Advocate."

Meanwhile, Chris Dodd's page linked to a 21-year-old Huntington Beach resident named Chris Dodd who seeks "some one who can give me supper [sic] powers and teach me how to fly to work. I heard the traffic is way lighter up there." And Rudy Giuliani's page is accessible only to those who are invited in.

Updated

Al's Week: Al Gore testifies on global warming before Congress on Wednesday, and you can be sure of several things in the next few days. (1) There will be more skeptics coming out of the woodwork; (2) There will be more speculation on Gore and whether he will run for President; and (3) There will be more focus on Gore's own energy consumption at his Nashville home. In case you can't wait, all of these stories have already happened, in the form of: (1) Two Royal Meteorological Society figures in Britain question the science behind wild global warming predictions and lament the "Hollywoodisation" of the issue; (2) Newsweek reports that Gore has shed a few pounds and has Laurie David saying, "I believe the door is not completely shut" on a presidential run; and (3) Time's Charles Krauthammer, in a column titled "Limousine Liberal Hypocrisy," doesn't buy Gore's argument that the power consumption at his Tennessee mansion can be offset by carbon credits. "Purchasing carbon credits is an incentive to burn even more fossil fuels, since now it is done under the illusion that it's really cost-free to the atmosphere."

"Law & Order" Politics: Fred Thompson ponders a run for White House, but his "Law & Order" co-star Sam Waterston has his sights set on another presidential campaign. He's the spokesman for Unity '08, a bi-partisan effort to find an independent candidate for president, all via the Internet. He tells ABC News, "I think by its existence it will have a beneficial effect on anybody who's running for president, because they will be obliged to look over their other shoulder at the center, and not simply address the partisan factions that have so much sway in primaries."  Among those who've been talked up as potential standard bearers: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel. Meanwhile, members of the Tennessee delegation are pushing for a Thompson run.

Team Clinton: Both Bill and Hillary Clinton showed on Sunday for a New York fund-raiser that raised some $1 million for the Senator's presidential campaign, with a crowd primarily of finance and banker types but also including Moby, Ron Howard and Chevy Chase. Also, the Wall Street Journal over the weekend looked at all of the jockeying in Hollywood to host fund-raisers, and added one new name to Clinton's endorsement column: News Corp. COO Peter Chernin.

Iraq, Plus Four: Martin Sheen was among the Iraqi war protesters in Hollywood on Saturday. And on the fourth anniversary of the conflict this week, Anne Schroeder of The Politico reports that members of Code Pink were traveling around Capitol taping so-called Blue Dog Democrats asking that they block funding.

The My Space Race: My Space has launched a new portion of its site called Impact, featuring links to the profiles of the various presidential contenders. Barack Obama is far ahead with 68,000 friends to Hillary Clinton and others, who seem to be hovering only in the thousands.

"The Simpsons" Constituency: Fox's upcoming "Simpsons" movie will reveal just where Springfield is, and so an enterprising radio reporter has fielded members of Congress whose states have just such a city to see if they are anxious to have the honor of hosting Homer.

Regs Turn to Violence: "Torture is the new sex. Jack Bauer is the new Janet Jackson," declares Time's James Poniewozik in an essay that highlights the new feceral government effort to regulate TV violence. He notes that Democrats "get as exercised about violence as Republicans do about sex." In fact, the change in mission seemed to have worked like clockwork, with Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) warning that if broadcasters don't police violence, "the federal government must step up." He notes that both parties fields of candidates include members who have advocated some government steps against TV, music and videogames, including Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Sam Brownback. Poniewozik writes, "But if politicians simply respected the audience's choices, stopped posturing against theoretical violence and fictional bad guys, they would have to focus on, say, the thornier problems of stopping actual bloodshed in the real world." McCain, by the way, said this week that while he is concerned about the issue of TV violence, he has not seen Rockefeller's proposal and has not come to his same conclusion that it may be time for the federal government to step in.

Burkle on Hillary: Ron Burkle, who's hosting Hillary Clinton at his home a week from now, gives tells the New York Times Magazine's Deborah Solomon, "I think to the extent that people miss who she is, she's actually a very nice, warm, thoughtful, caring person, and I don't think that comes across generally." He says of David Geffen's comments about her, "I was surprised by it, and in many ways taken aback by it. But I have known David for a long time. David is very aggressive in his comments and very aggressive in his thoughts on everything."

The Perils of Ads: Something we haven't covered much of here yet: Just as campaigns have taken to the new ways of web video, they also have to contend with amateur ads. These are not You Tube clips of a candidate caught in an embarassing moment --- or George Allen uttering the word "macaca." These are . "Do-it-yourself political advertisements made by amateurs are now flooding the Internet thanks to cheap digital video production equipment and free video sharing sites like YouTube," reports MSNBC's Bob Sullivan. "And last week, the first genuinely viral video of the 2008 campaign made the rounds: Its target was Hillary Clinton." That video was a play on Apple's famous 1984 ad, portraying Hillary as an Orwellian figure as a woman with an Obama T-shirt runs to a screen and throws a hammer at it to shatter it in a feat of dramatic glory. The author of the ad has not been revealed --- and the Obama campaign has little to do with it --- but it does raise questions of whether campaign finance rules can simply be skirted because any donor could simple give an amateur video producer the means to create an even professionally looking ad and post it on the Internet. The Federal Election Commission does not regulate blogs or amateur ads.

Updated

Early Primary: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign a bill today that will move California's primary to Feb. 5. While campaigns insist that this means they will actually do some campaigning in the state, many pundits --- and even John McCain --- say that it will also put more emphasis on Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. Update: He's signed it.

Who Plays Hillary?: The Politico's Helena Andrews looks at the comic quandary facing the nation should Hillary Clinton become President. Who will play her? "We don't like to make fun of women. We have to really be pushed to do it," explained comedienne Traci Skene, publisher of SheckyMagazine.com, an e-zine for and about comedians.

Arnold for Senate?: The New York Daily News looks at the possiblity of Schwarzenegger running for Senate against Barbara Boxer in 2010 and notes that the Dems already are planning a big fund-raiser for her on April 1 at the estate of Ron Burkle, with Jackson Browne performing.

Courage Couple: Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame get the Awards for Political Courage from the Pacific Palisades Democratic Club on May 20 at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica. The event raises money for a 2008 Democratic headquarters on the westside of Los Angeles.

It's enough to make you wonder: Will there be anyone left who hasn't maxed out on political contributions?

That is overdoing it, but long lists of Hollywood donors are lining up for back-to-back fund raisers for John Edwards and Hillary Clinton on March 23 and March 24, respectively. What's more, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, among the so-called "second tier" of presidential candidates, will be in L.A. on March 24 to address the Human Rights Campaign and its annual Southern California gala.

Last month, when Barack Obama held his fund-raiser at the Beverly Hilton, it drew what seemed like all of Hollywood's major studio heads. Many expect many of those same faces to show up next week as well, as much of the industry tests the waters to see how the race shakes out. The campaigns are in a frenetic schedule of raising money before the March 31 deadline, after which they must make their list of donors and fund-raising totals public.

Edwards' $2,300-per-person event, which includes cocktails and a co-chair dinner, will at the home of attorney Skip Brittenham and actress Heather Thomas, both prominent fund-raisers in recent election cycles.

While listed donors have been making the rounds at other candidates' fund-raisers, the Edwards invite features an extensive list of names. So much publicity has gone to Clinton and Obama's fund-raising activity this quarter, and there has been some speculation that Edwards would have a tougher time raising money with the two superstar candidates in the race.

They include Chris Albrecht, Hank Azaria, Rachelle Carson and Ed Begley Jr., Marilyn and Alan Bergman, Armyan Bernstein, James L. Brooks, Conway Collis, Laurie David, James Duff, Darren Star and Dennis Erdman, Skip Paul and Van Fletcher, Shari and Richard Foos, Sherry Lansing and William Friedkin, Ruth Fletcher and Chris Gage, Erika and Tom Girardi, Cindy and Alan Horn, Earl Katz, Lyn and Norman Lear, Trudi and Irv Loh, Al Meyerhoff, Chris Pak, Paul Pflug, Brett Ratner, Pat and John Rich, Gary Ross, Donna Scott, Julie Bergman Sender and Scott Sender, Cheri and Naren Shankar, Betty and Stanley Sheinbaum, Lorraine and Sid Sheinberg, Stacey Snider, J.C. Spink, Trina and Adam Venit, Lynne Wasserman, Paula Weinstein, Carol Mendelsohn and Andrew Wolf and Melissa Zuckerman.

Clinton already has visited twice in preparation for her March 24 gala, which will be at the Beverly Hills home of Ron Burkle. Tickets are $4,600 for a VIP reception and dinner, and $2,300 just for the dinner. (The campaign is raising money both for the primary and the general election).

The chairs of Clinton's event are Burkle, Cheryl and Haim Saban, Steve Bing, Debra and Sim Farar and Daphna and Richard Ziman. Co-chairs are Susan and Scott Corwin, Kimberly Marteau and John Emerson, Carol Hamilton and David Khon, Norman Hsu, Noah Mamet, Lisa and Brad Mindlin, Jane and Marc Nathanson, Eric Smidt and Laura and Casey Wasserman.

The host committee includes Eileen Austen, Jacqueline and Clarence Avant, Irv Bauman, Carol and Frank Biondi, Katie Buckland, Michel Chagouri, Lissa and Adam Chesnoff, Laura Chick, Bruce Cohen, Aileen Adams and Geoff Cowan, Gray and Sharon Davis, Alex De Ocampo, Tal Finney, Leah and Sam Fischer, Earl Gales, Chad Griffin, Laura Hartigan, Yashar Hedayat, Amy and Andy Heyward, Ruth Hunter and Sean Daniel, Marta Kauffman, Skip Keesal, Michael Kives, Toni Holt and Robert Kramer, Jennifer Long, Paul Marciano, Leah Mendelsohn, Tom O'Gara, Debra Olson, Richard Park, Kelly and Jamie Patricof, Rashel Pouri, Teddie and Michael Ray, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, Aviva and Dan Rosenthal, Lila Sadafi, Diane Lander Simon, Ari Swiller, Beverly Thomas, Sherri and Stanley Toy, William Wardlaw, Brian Weinstein and Denita and Anthony Willoughby.

Whew.

The Hill reports that Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) has told freshman members of Congress to steer clear of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," the satirical news show that has already made a mockery of many unwitting --- and some not so unwitting --- politicos.

For many members of Congress, the publicity that Colbert confers is too easy to resist, even with ample proof that they are not going to come through the experience looking any smarter. For example, Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) got into a debate about the merits of throwing kittens in a wood chipper.

“He said don’t do it … it’s a risk and it’s probably safer not to do it,” said Rep. Steve Cohen, a freshman lawmaker from Tennessee who nevertheless taped a segment of Colbert's "Better Know a District" series. Colbert asked Cohen whether he was a black woman. He isn't.

As Variety's Michael Learmonth reported last September, Nancy Pelosi even warned of the pitfalls of the show: "I wouldn't recommend anyone going on that show. Don't subject yourself to a comic's edit unless you want to be made a fool of."

But it doesn't like Colbert will run out of willing participants anytime soon.

Updated

Fox Under Fire: A new activist group is trying to persuade the Congressional Black Caucus Institute not to partner with Fox News for a debate. The Color of Change plans to send out e-mails today, with video evidence of the news channel's on-air personalities marginalizing "black politicians, culture and institutions." the Caucus is only considering sponsoring a debate with the cable network. Last week, MoveOn waged a campaign to get the Democrats to drop out of a planned Nevada debate with Fox News, which they did.

Gere in Gear: Richard Gere testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday to argue for Congress to engage more with China, particularly on Tibet. "We are repeatedly asked to weigh the costs of the U.S.-led war on terror, but there is a virtual silence from our political leaders on China and its 1.3 billion people," Gere said. He also argued for the restoration of funding for Voice of America broadcasts to Tibet.

Iran Irate: "Hollywood Declares War on Iranians," blared the headline of one Iranian daily paper as a government official attacked Warner Bros.' "The 300" as "part of a U.S. psychological warfare aimed at Iranian culture." Variety's Ali Jafaar reports that the film, which depicts the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae between 300 Spartan soldiers and an invading Persian army, shows them as the villains. The Persian emperor at the time, Xerxes, was descended from Cyrus, who is revered in Iran for having written the first declaration of human rights. What can't sit well with the MPAA is that Iranians have even seen the movie. Although the pic is not in release in the country --- and is unlikely to be --- it is readily available on DVD.

Money Shots: Rudy Giuliani's fund-raiser tonight in New York, which is hosted by Dennis Miller and aimed at a Yankees crowd, is expected to raise some $2 million.

Dodd's Day: Chris Dodd's appearance on "The Daily Show" was accompanied by an almost minute-by-minute video and text blog on his website.

McCain and MoveOn: As one of MoveOn's first '08 targets, John McCain on Tuesday didn't waste an opportunity to comment on their ads that trumpeted his connection to the current adminstration. "I thought some of those shots of me with President Bush were very attractive."

Bill Clinton may have given them jobs in his administration, but that doesn't mean they have to support his wife's presidential bid.

Reed Hundt and William Kennard -- successive chairmen of the FCC during Clinton's first and second terms, respectively -- are not just on the Barack Obama bandwagon, they're co-hosting a fundraiser for the Illinois senator's presidential campaign this Thursday night.

Joining them for hosting duties will be Julius Genachowski, Hundt's chief counsel while at the FCC and a former law school classmate of Obama.

Asked if it was difficult at all to enter Obama's camp when some might expect him to back his ex-boss's wife, a.k.a. Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her run for the presidency, Hundt replied: "I admire Hillary a great deal, and think she'd be a fine president. I met Barack four years ago and he's warmly welcomed me into his inner circle. America would be blessed if he were president. This is the finest field of Democratic candidates I've ever seen in three decades in politics."

Kennard didn't respond to two phone messages or an e-mail. The location will be Hundt's Chevy Chase home, where guests contributing at least a suggested $2,300 per person ($4,600 per couple) will be treated to a reception, a buffet dinner and 90 minutes of face-time with the candidate. The guest list is being kept private, though a source did say that the hosts are expecting "a nice turnout."

---By William Triplett in Washington

Photos: Reed Hundt (top) and William Kennard (bottom).

As polls show Rudolph Giuliani widening his lead, Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) on Tuesday said he was "very happy where we are" and noted that he was "dead last" among the presidential field when at this point in the process when he last ran for President.

Speaking outside a $1,000-per-person fund-raiser at the Beverly Hilton, McCain said, "the polls jump around a lot. We are kind of in spring training, as you know. ...We are establishing a good political and financial base and that is what we have been looking for for a long time."

He did lament the compressed schedule of the race, noting that with California and other large states moving their primaries to Feb. 5, "I just don't think you have the competitive environment.

"It puts increased importance on the first three states, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and it doesn't give the party faithful a real opportunity to examine the candidates."

The fund-raiser included a smattering of industry figures, including the Walt Disney Co.'s Preston Padden and actress Connie Stevens. It was hosted by McCain's California Finance Committee. MGM's Harry Sloan, MGM Mirage's Terrence Lanni and Univision's Gerald Perenchio are among McCain's key industry supporters.

McCain has long had ties to the entertainment industry, as a member of the Senate Commerce Committee and for his appeal as a maverick who can go against the grain.

Among Hollywood moderates, there has been some consternation that McCain is shifting rightward as he tries to appeal to the party's conservative base. His support for the Iraq War and President Bush's troop surge has been of particular concern. One lingering question on Tuesday was what reaction he had to Marine Gen. Peter Pace's comments that homosexual activity was "immoral."

"I don't know," McCain said. "Maybe the first thing is he should be given a chance to explain himself. I think those are personal views. I think the public policy aspect of it is what ought to be addressed, and in my view the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy is successful and should be maintained."

Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, did not offer an apology, but said that he should have focused more on policy that his personal views when he made them in an interview with the Chicago Tribune. Like McCain, Giuliani sidestepped Pace's comments, and put off comments about Don't Ask, Don't Tell. "We're at war and now isn't the time to question our military's admissions policy."

McCain last month said that Roe vs. Wade "should be overturned," and he explained his position in the context of human rights.

"I have been a strong advocate of human rights throughout my career," he said. "Whether it be Burma or Vietnam or any other place in the world, and I believe my advocacy for human rights goes to my advocacy for the unborn as well. It is a position I have held for many years.

"I understand that this is a difficult issue," he continued. I understand that people have very emotional views on it. I thought Roe. vs. Wade was a bad decision. But I also agree with others that we have to change the culture of America. And I think, as with the amendment to the constitution, which I voted against on the status of marriage, which I believe should be decided by the states, I believe this issue should be decided by the states."

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More Moolah: John McCain attends a $1,000-per-person lunchtime fund-raiser at the Beverly Hilton Hotel today that is thrown by his California finance committee. One of his rivals for the GOP nomination, Rudolph Giuliani, has Dennis Miller raising money for him at a fete on Wednesday. On Thursday, former FCC chairmen Reed Hundt and William Kennard, both Clinton appointees in the 1990s, throw a D.C. fund-raiser for Barack Obama...John Edwards tapped New York donors on Monday at a fund-raiser hosted by Michael J. Fox...

"Inconvenient" Truths: The New York Times interviews what are called "centrists" in the global warming issue and finds them critical of some of Al Gore's statements on the issue and suggest that the threat may be exaggerated. Western Washington University's Don Easterbrook, for instance, says that "there are a lot of inaccuracies in the statements we are seeing, and we have to temper that with real data." (He assures that he is "not a Republican"). One of Easterbrook's assertions: There have been 10 large temperature trends in the past 15,000 years, including a medieval warm period. Princeton's Michael Oppenheimer concludes of Gore, “On balance, he did quite well — a credible and entertaining job on a difficult subject. For that, he deserves a lot of credit. If you rake him over the coals, you’re going to find people who disagree. But in terms of the big picture, he got it right.” Gore testifies on Capitol Hill next week.

Taxes for TV?: In less than two years, it will be impossible to put up a pair of rabbit ears and get a signal on a non-digital TV set, as broadcasters convert, once and for all, from analog to digital. So what is Congress going to about all of these potentially obsolete TV sets --- not to mention irate coach potatoes? A recently unveiled $1.5 billion plan calls for handing out coupons so consumers can buy converter boxes. But Telecom & Internet Subcommittee chairman Ed Markey has called the plan "fuzzy" and confusing, and wants more money to help out with the switchover. But Larry Neal, a Republican staffer on the House Energy and Finance Committee, says of Markey's criticism, "If the palace horses really need to watch "Mr. Ed" reruns down at the stable, fine. But why are taxpayers responsible for buying them a converter box?" Under the plan, all households will get a maximum of two coupons worth $40 each.

Thompson Ponders Bid: ABC News reports that former Sen. Bill Frist could give Fred Thompson a top tier endorsement should the "Law & Order" star run for President. "He is a commonsense leader," Frist says.

He's tan, rested and ... Michael Dukakis surely gave no sign on Monday night that he was ready to jump back into politics, almost a generation after he was the Democratic nominee for President.

But at a Westwood screening of HBO's documentary series "Addiction," he did offer a few choice comments on the political will to solve problems of drug and alcohol addiction in the country. He said that when he was in the Massachusetts statehouse, there was a nationwide governor's alliance to address the problems, but that now it has been all but "given a burial." (He mentioned Mitt Romney). And during the most recent election, no gubernatorial candidate even raised the issues as a central concern, he noted.

"During the 80s, people made light of the 'Just Say No' campaign, but having the First Lady invested in this was deeply important," said Dukakis, adding, "If we don't do something about demand, nothing will happen."

"Addiction" is a special HBO event that focuses on the problems that a wide range of addiction have had on society, with such documentarians as Barbara Kopple, Eugene Jarecki and Rory Kennedy contributing. The screening on Monday night was of a segment that concentrated on alcohol and drug abuse and the advances in medications and brain scanning that have helped in treating them.

Joining Dukakis was his wife, Kitty, who has been public about her own alcohol addiction and recovery. They are still natives of Boston, but spend the winters in Los Angeles where Michael Dukakis teaches at the UCLA School of Public Policy. Kitty Dukakis recently returned from a mission to help refugees in Africa.

Photo by Leroy Hamilton/HBO.

When Al Gore announced a worldwide series of concerts on July 7, speculation was that the U.S. venue would be in Washington D.C. and, naturally, on the National Mall.

But a week ago, they were turned down.

Instead, Live Earth organizers, led by producer Kevin Wall, are pursuing the west side of the Capitol, or the opposite end of the Mall, and are seeking congressional approval. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) introduced a resolution to allow the concert event, with the sponsors assuming full responsibility and liability.

So were a bit of politics at play? Or maybe just a little bit of irony?

The National Park Service, which oversees the National Mall, cited logistical and bureaucratic reasons for turning down the request. But one source said that one of those reasons was that the Park Service "would not have enough time to secure enough Porta Potties" --- even though the event doesn't happen until July.

A spokesman for the Park Service could not be reached tonight. But before the concerts were even officially announced on Feb. 15, spokesman Bill Line warned in the Washington Post that the Mall may be unavailable. The Smithsonian Folklife Festival is scheduled on the Mall from June 27 to July 1 and from July 4 to 8. Line told the Post that "it would be difficult if not impossible to reasonably accommodate any large-scale events."

Meanwhile, logistics are being worked out at the Capitol. Howard Gantman, staff director for the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, says that lawmakers have asked Live Earth organizers to work with the Kennedy Center on figuring out how to coordinate their schedules. The Kennedy Center has their annual "Capitol Fourth" concert there, but takes four to five days to break down.

The D.C. concert will be free, but other venues probably will charge a ticket price depending on where they are held. Proceeds from the concerts will go to a foundation led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, which Gore chairs. Board members include Brent Scowcroft and Carol Browner, as well as Theodore Roosevelt IV.

A Rules committee member still could hold up the resolution, but Live Earth senior adviser Chad Griffin says, "We're quite encouraged by the bipartisan support this has received."

Photo: Cameron Diaz, Al Gore and Kevin Wall announcing Live Earth in February.

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Gore Concert in D.C.: The Politico reports that plans are afoot to stage one portion of the July 7 climate concerts --- announced with much fanfare last month by Al Gore --- at the Capitol. It's been referred to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, so what to watch is if any Republicans try to block it.

Bing Rescinds Stanford Donation: Producer Steve Bing has taken back a $2.5 million donation from Stanford University after ExxonMobil began touting a partnership with the university to fund climate and energy research. "ExxonMobil is trying to greenwash itself, and it's using Stanford as its brush," Yusef Robb, who works with Bing on climate issues, tells the San Jose Mercury News. "We think that people who give to Stanford do so because they want to help the future leaders of this nation, not ExxonMobil." ExxonMobil in 2002 partnered with Stanford in a $100-million deal for energy research, but Bing was miffed once the oil company began airing TV ads trumpeting the Stanford efforts as a drive to reduce "greenhouse gas emissions." Bing already has donated $22.5 million to the school, where he was a student, and his father, Peter, is a former chairman of its Board of Trustees. Bing spent $50 million to try to pass Proposition 87 in November, a measure that would have taxed oil companies to fund alternative energy research. ExxonMobil was one of the many oil and energy companies who spent much more to defeat the initiative.

Nixon's Return: With Peter Morgan's "Frost/Nixon" about to open on Broadway, Newsweek looks at Richard Nixon's enduring effect on popular culture, some 13 years after his death and 33 years after he left office. "Nixon still haunts the culture like a restless ghost," writes Jennie Yabroff. In addition to "Frost/Nixon" and several books, Nixon also figures in the upcoming picture "The Hoax," who wrote a fake biography of Howard Hughes in the 1970s. 

In the New York Times, Frank Rich identifies the Walter Reed scandal as only the latest in the Bush team's long line of Katrina-like failures, and argues that even Cher spotted that the administration was more concerned with the war's image than on the actual conditions of the veterans. "Now we can full appreciate that bizarre incident on C-Span in October 2003, when an anguished Cher, of all unlikely callers, phoned in to ask why adminstration officials, from the president down, were not being photographed with patients like those she visited at Walter Reed. 'I don't understand why these guys are so hidden,' she said." Rich also points out that Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley, who had been in charge of Walter Reed, had boycotted HBO's "Baghdad ER" because he thought it would provoke symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

In his latest column, Andrew Sullivan sees Ann Coulter as "the right's Michael Moore" and a drag on the Republican party, especially since she was greeted so well at the conservative conference last weekend. "You would think this might have rendered her off limits to a Republican convention. You’d be wrong. They love her. This is what she said last week: 'I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, but it turns out you have to go into rehab if you use the word ‘faggot’, so I can’t really talk about Edwards.' The crowd laughed and cheered. ...She insisted calling someone a “faggot” has nothing to do with homosexuality. If you want to appeal to all Americans, including anyone who thinks bigotry is ugly, the Republicans have a funny way of going about it."

"Law & Order" star Fred Thompson tells Fox News that he is considering a run for President but that he may not decide until summer.

"I'm just going to wait and see what happens," he says. "I wanted to see how my colleagues who are on the campaign trail do now, what they say, what they emphasize, what they're addressing and how successful hey are in doing that, and whether or not they can carry the ball next November."

Thompson insists that his consideration is "not really a reflection on the current field at all." But he noted that "people are somewhat disillusioned" and "looking for something different." With John McCain's wobbly poll numbers, there have been rumblings of a new batch of candidates getting into the race. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) is expected to announce his intentions on Monday, and if he does run, he would be the anti-war maverick in the race, perhaps inheriting support from those disillusioned by McCain's strident support of continued involvement in Iraq.

Thompson, like McCain, supports President Bush's decision to increase troops in Iraq. "Wars are fuill of mistakes," he told Fox News. "You rectify things. I think we're doing that now. Why not take any chance, even though there's certainly no guarantees, to not be run out of that place? I mean, we've got to take that opportunity and give it a chance to work."

Thompson opposes gay marriage, but wants states to decide whether to allow civil unions; he opposes gun control and thinks that Roe vs. Wade should be overturned.

After comments from Fox News chief Roger Ailes and VP David Rhodes, John Edwards' deputy campaign manager Jonathan Prince fired off an e-mail to supporters in which he declared, "enough is enough."

"It's time to send a clear message to Fox News and their allies that their right wing talking points and temper tantrums won't go unchallenged anymore --- when it comes to what Democrats should do in the Democratic primary, we'll decide --- not matter what they report."

Prince not only fired back at Fox, but at "the whole right wing," noting that the Drudge Report has been blaring the headline, "War! Dems Pull Out of the Fox News Debate!"

"Fox News has already proven that have no intention of providing 'fair and balanced' coverage of any Democrat in this election," Prince wrote.

"In recent weeks they have run blatant lies about Senator Obama's background. And Fox was only too happy to give Ann Coulter a platform to spew more hate a few days after her bigoted attack on Senator Edwards and the gay community."

The Edwards campaign was none too happy when Ailes, in a speech on Thursday, said that any candidate "who believes he can blacklist any news organization is making a terrible mistake" and "runs a real risk of losing the voters." Rhodes upped the ante a bit when he said that "news organizations ought to think twice before getting involved in the Nevada Democratic Caucus" because it is controlled by "radical fringe out-of-state interest groups."

Like they did a week ago, when Coulter called Edwards the "f' word, the campaign used the outcry to try to raise more money, what they call "Coulter cash." Likewise, Prince called on supporters to "send a message" by sending in contributions.

"The truth is, Fox News can 'report' whatever they want," he wrote. "And when it works for us, we'll deal with them on our terms. But this campaign is about responsibility and accountability, and we need to send the message to Fox that if they want to be the corporate mouthpiece of the Republican Party more than they want to be an impartial news outlet, they shouldn't expect Democrats to play along."

The Nevada Democratic Party has decided to pull out of an Aug. 14 Fox News-sponsored debate after John Edwards' campaign said he wouldn't participate in the event, the Politico reports.

The decision is sure to escalate tensions between Democrats and the scrappy news outlet, whose head, Roger Aisles, on Thursday warned of the dangers when candidates boycott news outlets.

Groups such as Moveon.org had been critical of the Nevada state party's decision to partner with Fox News, questioning the network's claim that it provided "fair and balanced" coverage. Producer Robert Greenwald, who made the doc "Outfoxed," even provided videos to a website, foxattacks.com, set up to oppose the network's coverage.

Bill Richardson is the only candidate to publicly say that he would participate in the event, according to The Politico.

Drudge Report posted this reaction from Fox News' David Rhodes: "We have not received official word from the Nevada State Democratic Party disclosing a change in debate plans. Rumors are being circulated and if true, news organizations will want to think twice before getting involved in the Nevada Democratic Caucus which appears to be controlled by radical fringe out-of-state interest groups, not the Nevada Democratic Party. In the past, Moveon.org has said they ‘own’ the Democratic party—while most Democrats don’t agree with that, we’re waiting to see if that’s the case in Nevada.”

Edwards Says "Grow Up" to Coulter: In an interview with Texas Monthly Talks, Sen. John Edwards was queried about Ann Coulter's comments about him. Asked by editor Evan Smith what he would say to the frequent commentator and columnist, who used the "f" word to describe him, Edwards "laughed and curled his fingers into a fist, miming a punch." "No, there's absolutely nothing I..." Edwards began. "I would say to you, grow up." According to ABC News, he elaborated by saying, "I grew up in the South in the 50s and 60s where I heard a lot of bad words in very hateful ways to descirbe people, and I think it is very important when that happens, no matter who is saying it and who is on the receiving end of it...for all of us to speak out and denounce it because otherwise it becomes acceptable. And it is not acceptable."

Ailes Says Boycotts Are "Terrible Mistake": Fox News chief Roger Ailes said candidates "who blacklist any news organization" are "making a terrible mistake." His remarks, which came as he was receiving the First Amendment Leadership Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Assn. Foundation, were a reference to John Edwards' decision to skip a Nevada candidates forum in August which has been under fire because it is co-sponsored by Fox News.  "We're heading into a tough political season and all of us will be called upon to do our best and be fair," Ailes said. "Recently, pressure groups are forcing candidates to conclude the best strategy for journalists is divde and conquer, is to only appear on those networks and venues that give them favorable coverage."

"Trip to Al Qaeda": In its newly relaunched website, the New Yorker features a video excerpt from Lawrence Wright's one-man show "My Trip to Al Qaeda," right, which opened this week at the Culture Project.

The "Law & Order" star and former Tennessee senator is keeping rather coy on the issue, but The Hill reports on mounting rumors that he is seriously considering throwing his hat in the ring for 2008.

His mentor, former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, is contacting power brokers to build support for a campaign, and Thompson, when asked about it recently, said, "I'm keeping my powder dry."

If he runs, one issue that is bound to come up is where it leaves equal time provisions. Obviously, he would not be able to continue his role as Arthur Branch on "Law & Order," but it also raises the questions of what happens with the airing of reruns on NBC. TNT runs repeats of the series, but the equal time provision applies to broadcasters. With exceptions for such things as news programming and interview shows, it requires equal airtime for other candidates.

Thompson's political career got a big boost in 1973 when Baker named him chief Republican counsel to the Senate Watergate committee, and Thompson is said to be responsible for Baker asked the no famous question, "What did the President know, and when did he know it?" His acting career was launched in 1985 when producers cast him in the movie "Marie," in which he played himself in the real life story of his fight against corruption on the Tennessee Parole Board.

That led to roles in "No Way Out," "The Hunt for Red October," and "In the Line of Fire." Thompson left acting to run for the U.S. Senate in 1994, and served until 2003. In the last few months of his term, Dick Wolf cast him as D.A. Arthur Branch, and he even started the role while still serving in Congress.

Even as he has acted on "Law & Order," he has stayed active politically, raising money for Scooter Libby's legal defense and appearing in ads last year for such candidates as Bob Corker, who won a Tennessee Senate seat against Harold Ford.

His candidacy is said to be motivated by some GOP dissatisfaction with the current field of candidates.

“I think Fred Thompson is by far the one American who could bring this country together,” Tennessee GOP Chairman Bob Davis told the Chattanooga Times Free Press last week. “There are some good folks running right now, but naturally if a conservative Tennessean like Fred Thompson chose to run, I believe there would be a flood of support from across the country.”

This item was corrected from a previous version.

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Edwards Skips Fox-Hosted Debate: Former Sen. John Edwards says that he will skip a debate planned in August, apparently because it will be hosted by Fox News. MoveOn.org has been leading a campaign to ask the Nevada Democratic Party to drop Fox as a debate sponsor, calling the news channel biased toward Republicans. Producer Robert Greenwald even assembled a short film for a MoveOn webside, www.foxattacks.com, questioning the network's claim of "fair and balanced" coverage. Fox's John Rhodes said in a statement, "It is unfortunate that Sen Edwards has decided to abandon an opportunity to reach the largest mainstream cable audience in America." Meanwhile, the Shreveport, La., paper became the fourth in the country to drop Ann Coulter as a columnist after she used the derogatory gay "f" label to describe Edwards. The gay rights organization Human Rights Campaign is in the midst of an effort to get other newspapers to drop her writing.

DiCaprio Doc: Leonardo DiCaprio is writing and producing a feature-length documentary on global warming called "11th Hour." The pic is scheduled for release later this year.

Karmazin Defends Merger: Sirius chief Mel Karmazin appeared at Capitol Hill on Wednesday to assure Congress that its proposed merger would XM would not lead to higher rates for current subscribers, even though FCC chairman Kevin Martin had expressed his doubts. Unclear is just how much customers of a combined service would have to pay. Even though the merger would combine the two major sat radio operators into one, Karmazin says that there still will be competition in the marketplace from broadcast radio. But he was asked why satellite radio shouldn't be held to the same indecency standards. Customers, he said, pay for the service and can block channels they don't want to receive.

"Law & Order" and Libby: Actor and former senator Fred Thompson defends Scooter Libby in a National Review piece in which he says that special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald was on a "Sherman's march" to "until he had finally come up with something to justify his lofty mandate." Thompson, who is helping to raise money for Libby's legal defense, writes that "it is ironic that what Libby is facing today is not due to the evil machinations so often attributed to the White House but rather due to an apparent naivety." In addition to an exclusive trial account by one of the jurors, the Huffington Post has former RIAA chief Hilary Rosen writing that she ran into Joseph Wilson Wednesday morning and sad that he and wife Valerie Plame are leaving D.C. for Santa Fe. Rosen sees the verdict as "a going away present." 

Obama Gets the Music Crowd: Island Def Jam chairman L.A. Reid threw a fund-raiser for Barack Obama on Monday at his New York home, with attendees including Beyonce, Jay Z, Universal Music's Doug Morris, Tommy Hilfinger and Babyface Edmonds, according to the New York Daily News. The presidential candidate even asked Beyonce for an autograph.

Just in time for the DVD release of "Borat" comes an extra dose of publicity thanks to the State Department.

Its annual human rights report criticizes the real Kazakhstan for restrictions on freedom of speech. The reported cited the loss of Borat's Kazakh webpage www.borat.kz in late 2005 along with other restrictions on free speech, according to Reuters.

"The government deemed as offensive the content of a satirical site controlled by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and revoked the .kz domain," the report said.

Cohen later moved the site to www.borat.tv.

The report lists other abuses including military hazing, police torture, unhealthy prison conditions and arbitrary arrests.

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Edwards' Big Event: Attorney Skip Brittenham will host a fund-raiser for John Edwards on March 23, as candidates make one last big swing before the end of the quarter. Edwards on Monday night was the guest of honor at a reception hosted by Endeavor's Adam Venit and his wife Trina at their home, with director Gary Ross and Seth Green among the attendees. Other hosts were Skip Paul, Armyan Bernstein and Rob Vinson. Edwards' March 23 event, by the way, is the night before Hillary Clinton's gala at the home of Ron Burkle.

XM-Sirius Merger Doubts: According to the New York Times, FCC chairman Kevin Martin has privately questioned the merger of XM with Sirius, raising doubts that the combined company would not lead to higher rates. But Sirius chief executive Mel Karmazin says that his recent testimony before Congress, in which he vowed that prices would not be raised, was not misleading. Full disclosure: Sirius has a deal with Variety to provide ongoing entertainment industry newscasts.

The Rise of the Celebrity Candidate: Helena Andrews of The Politico examines the '08 preponderance of celebrity candidates. Unlike celebs like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan who become candidates, the likes of Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani are candidates who become celebrities. It's not a new phenomenon, but it certainly has put a bit of pressure on second tier candidates who have to break through in the "American Idol" primary. And of course, the race already has one victim in Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who insisted he was not a "rock star" but "rock solid." More full disclosure: I am among those quoted in the piece, so read with a skeptical eye on self-reverence.

Oscars Boost Gore: The Oscar win for "An Inconvenient Truth" gave Al Gore a bit of a poll bounce, even though he says he has no plans to run.

Peace Summit: The New York Observer reports on a peace summit that was held in February between New York fund-raisers for Clinton, Obama and Edwards. Howard Dean presided. Unfortunately, it happened before the Geffen dustup. 

Bruce Ramer, Buzz Aldrin, Dyan Cannon, Gary Sinise, Brillstein-Grey's Jon  and Lionel Chetwynd were among the industry figures on hand for a fund-raiser Monday night for Rudolph Giuliani's presidential bid.

Giuliani is the latest GOP candidate to court Hollywood for donors, despite the widespread belief that the industry is so lopsided in favor of liberals that Republicans won't even put in the effort here.

Giuliani excites supporters not only because of his star power, but because they say he's a candidate who has proven himself. "When you hear Rudy, you know this guy can get this job done," says one supporter.

Giuliani did talk about the war in Iraq: He noted that the soldiers are fighting an unpopular war yet show resolve because they are there willingly, according to Mediabistro, which also reported that attendees included Jerry Bruckheimer.

Although Giuliani supports President Bush's troop increase in Iraq, he has not been weighed down by the issue in the same way that John McCain has. That's also allowed Giuliani to pitch what a supporter called a positive message about America's standing the the world.

To McCain's supporters, the former New York mayor has yet to be tested on the campaign trail, especially with issues regarding his marriages and his liberal positions on social issues in a primary race that is about appealing to conservatives.

"This is a name I.D. game now," says producer-manager Eric Gold, a McCain supporter. "I see the media baiting Giuliani into running" and hitting him with critical stories that delve into his personal life and other issues.

"It's all very, very volatile, and way too early."

The trial of Scooter Libby may have been just the ending that the producers of Warner Bros.' movie about Valerie Plame were looking for, but Endeavor's Ari Emanuel offers another coda to Libby's guilty verdict.

"My prediction about Dick Cheney is one step closer to becoming true," he writes on his blog on HuffingtonPost. "My clock gives it three weeks before his resignation letter lands on Bush's desk. What does your clock say?"

At least he's bold in his predictions.

On the other side of the spectrum, former Sen. Fred Thompson, now of "Law & Order," has agreed to hold another fund-raiser for Libby's legal defense.

Vehement on Violence: After an FCC commissioner suggested last week that industry self-regulation of violent content on TV may be the best option, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) on Monday said that such an idea was "short-sighted." He plans to re-introduce a bill that would give the government the ability to regulate violent content as it does indecency. "The broadcasters have already tried and failed in their attempts at self-regulation. The bottom line is, if they can't or won't do it, then the federal government must step up to the plate."

Giuliani Matters: Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani asked the media for privacy in dealing with an apparent rift with his son, who gave an interview with ABC News in which he said he wouldn't be campaigning for his father. Giuliani appeared with Arnold Schwarzenegger at an event in Southern California to discuss curbing gang violence, but was asked no questions about that issue at a press conference, just about his family life. Like he did with Sen. John McCain two weeks ago, Schwarzenegger stopped short of endorsing Giuliani. 

Pay Up for Payola: The FCC and Clear Channel, CBS, Entercom and Citadel Broadcasting are putting the finishing touches on a $12.5 million settlement of the government's payola probe. The fine is the largest the FCC ever has issued, and calls on the station groups to guarantee some 8,400 half-hour segments of free airtime for indie record labels and local artists.

HBO Goes Politico: Ana Marie Cox, Marc Maron, John Oliver and Mike Murphy appear in the first pilot for HBO's new political comedy show "The Gaggle." A cross between "The McLaughlin Group" and "The Daily Show," it will tap into a younger, snarkier group of political journalists