(Earlier: “CQ Politics Party Tomorrow“)

From last night:

All of Washington’s journalists send their deep condolences to Bloomberg’s Jonathan Salant, whose wife, Joan, passed away unexpectedly last night. There is a service on Sunday.

Please keep Jonathan, Joan and their families and friends in your thoughts.

Today, Howie Kurtz touches on a story touched on by TNR’s Michael Crowley three weeks ago: That not all reporters are in love with the Clinton campaign’s press access.

We’re more interested in this, however: The reporters willing to go on the record with their complaints, risking future relations with the powerful Clinton contingency.

Those named in Kurtz’s piece:

ABC correspondent Kate Snow
Newsweek’s Andrew Romano
Boston television reporter Joe Battenfeld

Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibibi says “I mean this whole notion of journalism school–I can’t believe people actually go to journalism school. You can learn the entire thing in like three days.”

What do you think?

web surveys – Take Our Poll

We’ve been keeping a tally of which 2007 Imus guests will go back on Don Imus’ program when it returns. Out of the previous D.C.-based guests on Imus’ program in 2007, we’ve heard back from Howard Fineman, Craig Crawford, Chris Wallace, Chris Matthews, Ana Marie Cox and David Gregory.

Three more have gotten back to us:

Gwen Ifill: “I have no thoughts.”

David Shuster: “I subscribe to the Howard Fineman way of thinking about this — I will follow company policy. However, I don’t know what NBC/MSNBC policy is and I haven’t asked yet. So, I don’t know.”

Stuart Taylor, Jr.: “If Imus calls, which he has not done in several years, I expect that I would say I’d be glad to go on, but with the understanding that I might say that those of us who are critical of the excesses of racial victimology need to be especially careful to avoid anything close to a racial slur or racist remark. The reasons are to avoid any insult to African-Americans as a group and to avoid giving openings to those who are quick to charge ‘racial insensitivity’ to divert attention from the important issues of race in this country. I feel especially strongly about these dangers given that my recent book happens to focus on an episode in which white Duke lacrosse players – who are good guys — were victims of lying and character assassination by a mob including many black (as well as many white) abusers of power.

We’ll let you know when we hear from the rest of Imus’ 2007 DC guests.

On the one hand, CNN is happy because their last two debates have rocked the house ratings-wise.

On the other hand, “CNN Admits Holes in Screening of Questioners.”

From an email sent from Hillyer to CNN Senior Producer Melissa Dunst Lipman, obtained by FishbowlDC:

Dear Ms. Lipman:

I write to register strenuous objections to your highly unprofessional hit piece last night (Broken Government — “Campaign Killers,” hosted by Campbell Brown ) against David Bossie and Citizens United, and to demand an on-air retraction of part of it, along with corrections made in any future showings. In particular, if a retraction of the defamatory words “fringe militia” is not offered publicly by CNN, and soon, I will advise Mr. Bossie to consider legal action.

All of us here at Citizens United object to numerous aspects of CNN’s conduct.

Ms. Brown referred to Mr. Bossie and Citizens United as being one of several “fringe militias.” Not only is Citizens United hardly a “fringe” group (unless consistent and open association with the former Speaker of the House, a current leading presidential candidate, and numerous other leading Republicans can be considered “fringe”), but to refer to it as a “militia” is a clear and obvious falsehood. We demand a retraction.

Read the rest of the letter after the jump…

Read more

Former CBS Deputy Political Director Steve Chaggaris is now the network’s director of political coverage, replacing Molly Levinson. And Marc Ambinder has been named Chief Political Consultant (he’ll keep his Atlantic/National Journal gigs).

TVNewser has the full memo.

Lots of hair flying in the blogosphere today.

Two fights a’brewin:

Good morning Washington.