A mini-report from The Week's "Is Bush unbeatable in 2004?" panel at Grand Central today: Clinton aide Sidney Blumenthal (one of four panelists, including former presidential candidate Gary Hart, Republican strategist Ed Rollins, FoxNews contributor Monica Crowley, all moderated by Brit publisher Harry Evans) having speculated about Bush's prospects, gets ambushed by defected Clintonista Dick Morris, who recently accused him of writing an 800-page job application for the Hillary Clinton campaign, in the form of his book, The Clinton Wars. Morris and Blumenthal haven't spoken for years. Morris, whose voice suddenly booms from the loudspeaker via unannounced phone-in, comments on the state of the Bush adminstration's re-election prospects and adds at the end, "Hellooooooo, Sidney..." Blumenthal smirks (in that seethingly condescending way he appears to have perfected.) Evans announces, "That was a frisson. If you missed it, too bad."

Other notable events: Ed Rollins, in a subtle attempt to subvert the Democratic party's shot-in-hell at defeating Bush, suggests that Al Gore is a not only a viable candidate, but a strong one. The oxygen in the room decreases by 30% as 100 or so people simultaneously yawn. Then the panel's theme inexplicably switches from "Can Bush be beat?" to "I [heart] Gary Hart." The panel veers dangerously close to a discussion of "Hart in 2004" but gets derailed by Monica Crowley (she of public radio) who begins enumerating the virtues of conservative talk radio [involuntary retching on my part at the mere mention of the phrase]the primary being that it's a manifestation of latent majority demand for conservative voices. I resist the temptation to point out that radio's a great medium for people who don't/can't/won't read books and newspapers, and that this may be a more accurate explanation, as I'd imagine it describes much of the Rush Limbaugh demographic. Panel ends. Everyone leaves, genuflecting before Gary Hart on the way out (more or less.)

Bonus: Gawker stalker, The Week panel edition, with contributed spottings from blogger/Conde Nasty Jeff Jarvis and Gawker publisher Nick Denton:
· Ex-mayors Ed Koch & David Dinkins
 · Paris Review editor George Plimpton sitting a little too near the stage at eye level with Blumenthal's knee (if there had been a fistfight, Blumenthal would have ended up in Plimpton's lapwhich, let's face it, could have been fun),
· Bianca Jagger (Why?)
· Ex-Talk editor Tina Brown who, when introduced by The Week general manager, Justin Smith, laughed and asked, "are you going to write about this in your snarky little way?" Well, nnnn...yyyy...nnnn...yyyyes.
· Joanna Coles, Marc Malkin, & Caroline Miller from NY Mag, mentally composing service-oriented articles on "where to find the best seat at The Week's schmoozy political panel 'o' the month." (Alright, not really. I made that up. They were really thinking, "Wouldn't it be hysterical if Blumenthal rolled his eyes a little too far, lost his balance, and fell into Plimpton's lap?")
· What Liberal Media? author Eric Alterman (who, like a good liberal, takes public transportation, it seems.)
· New York Social Diary author David Patrick Columbia snapping digital pictures that I'm guessing will probably be on his site shortly, so that you can personally rate the questionable fashion choices of the
· Various and sundry Upper East Siders in the room.