Whine and cheese in D.C.

Newsies, Congress experience odd juxtapositions at annual dinner

By MICHAEL LEARMONTH

Days after Fox News prexy Roger Ailes derided MSNBC for "for hiring every blonde that doesn't work for us," he was seated within slapping distance last week of Monica Crowley, who ankled Fox for MSNBC in November.

It was one of many odd juxtapositions at the Annual Television and Radio Correspondents Dinner, which took on a somber pall this year as President Bush and much of broadcasting's A-list were in Rome, and the others still digesting the news of Peter Jennings' cancer diagnosis.

The dinner, a traditional venue for newsies to cozy up to Congress, was the scene of several potentially volatile pairings. Apparently unconcerned for his personal safety, ABC's George Stephanopoulos sat between Democratic party chief Howard Dean and Bush operative Karl Rove.

Ailes, who secured 34 tables for Fox, dined with Sen. Joe Lieberman, but it didn't stop MSNBC VP Mark Effron from hitting up the senator for a booking.

CNN (29 tables) played host to Sens. John Warner and Thad Cochrane. CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer, prexy Andrew Heyward and exec producer Jim Murphy hosted Sens. Barbara Boxer and John McCain.

"Nightline"'s Chris Bury accepted an award on behalf of Ted Koppel. "Ted couldn't be here tonight, something about a job interview," he said.

With the president gone, funnyman work fell to VP Dick Cheney, who admitted, "I don't typically do funny."

He told of some unexplained cardiac symptoms recently, including chest pains and shallow breathing.

Said Lynn Cheney: "Dick, that's called laughing."